Pokémon Dark
by TheRisingFlame
Summary: This is a collection of more mature stories centered around the Pokemon universe. Tales where crime is rampant, death comes in unexpected ways, and the once beautiful Pokemon world is turned on its head and turned into something especially hideous. Welcome, to Pokemon Dark.
1. WARNING

**I feel like I should warn all you readers before you get into this. This collection of short stories will focus on the dark side of Pokémon. Stories focused around characters in the Pokémon universe with plots as dark as I can make them. If you've read Hero Born of Darkness, you'll be familiar with how I dabbled with the dark side before, but this is where I can go all out. These stories aren't for the faint of heart, so that's your warning. On a side note, these stories don't just take place in the Pokemon universe, but the same universe as HBoD as well. I won't explain why or how, but unless you've read HBoD, you might not get some of the references. So, if you're up to it, then come on in, and welcome innocent readers, to the world, of Pokémon Dark**


	2. Pokémon Dark: Nanu Pt 1

Nanu sat back in his chair, sipping his mug of hot coffee as he listened to the pounding of rain outside the station. A Meowth jumped onto his messy desk, purring. Nanu set the mug down and stroked the Pokemon's fur. He heard more purrs all around him, a sign that the other Meowths were wanting attention as well.

"Ah shut it," Nanu growled. "You'll all get your turn soon enough."

His Persian lifted her head from a bed in the corner behind him, glaring at all the Meowths. Sure she wasn't there mother, at least not to most of them, but she was still a force to be reckoned with.

"Don't mess with mama cat," Deputy Hendrickson joked as he carried a huge load of files in a box. "She bites and scratches."

Nanu sighed. "What are you doing Hendrickson?"

"Aw sir," he replied with a smile and a slight accent. "Don't be like that. This place could do with a good cleaning."

That much was true to say the least. The place had recently become a garbage dump for the many files that had been dumped from file cabinets and stains likely from coffee spills. Knowing Team Skull however, it could be anything. A desk had been broken apart and now just sat in pieces on the left side of the police station. Broken glass in various locations and a couch that had been worn down by stains and scratch marks. All in all, the place was a hazard zone, though Nanu never bothered to clean it.

Nanu sighed as he didn't bother to tell Hendrickson to stop. He was the only deputy who was willing to camp out here near Po Town. Nanu didn't know if he liked it better with or without the deputy, but there was nothing he could do about it now. He was here to stay. Despite all the rumors, Team Skull never did much, at least not where the station was concerned. They knew better than to mess with him, so they left this general area alone.

Nanu stood and groaned. He was definitely getting old. Retirement was getting closer and closer these days, but Nanu knew that Po Town needed to be watched and no one else was willing to do it.

Nanu gave a sideways look at the deputy as he was on his knees, picking up more files. Deputy Frank Hendrickson, 23. Clean record and high scores in the academy. Yet he chose this place to be assigned when he could've chosen a quieter job position like the one in Hau'oli City.

"Damned fool," Nanu muttered to himself. Yet, maybe if he didn't run away when the year was over, he might actually be a good replacement.

_"Heh,"_ Nanu thought. _"But who'll take my position as Kahuna?"_

Acerola, his niece, came to mind, but he dismissed it. That girl was busy enough as it was doing keeping a firm hold on her trial site. He had thought it a blessing when she showed no interest in being an officer like him, but he had always feared for her. Dealing with Ghost types was a scary business, which was why Nanu had gotten Meowth, which was now his Persian, to fend off Ghost types if necessary when he had adopted her. Her parents had died when she was five in a car crash and he was the one on duty who had to find his sister and her husband dead in the front seats. The car had fallen off the side of Mount Hokulani on an especially rainy day when a rock slide occurred. Miraculously, Acerola had survived it.

Nanu shuddered. He would never forget the day when he shined his light upon her in her tattered purple dress she still maintained to this day, her eyes glancing up at him. Her hands were both raised on either side of her, her finger slightly curled as if she were holding onto something. He remembered her words as clear as day.

"Mommy and daddy need to go now. They say goodbye." Her purple eyes had seemed so soulless at the time as well.

Nanu plucked a cigarette from his desk and went to light it with his lighter when Hendrickson held up a hand. "Sorry sir, but could you do that outside. It's not permitted inside the station."

"I can do whatever the hell I want," Nanu grunted. "I'm sheriff here."

He listened to Hendrickson though and stepped outside on the only dry ground beneath the bit of roof peeking over him. He lit the cigarette and blew out some smoke. He knew smoking would probably end up killing him one of these days, but it was something he just never could stop.

Nanu glanced behind him through the glass window on the door at the deputy still cleaning up inside. He was clean of criminal records, but also health wise. He didn't smoke or drink. He often got after Nanu sometimes when he popped open a bottle of beer or prepared a smoke, which was annoying, but Nanu appreciated it. Not that he would ever tell him that of course. Come to think of it, it reminded him of his old partner. He never smoked, but he drank, in moderation. They would hit the Aipom's Pub after every successful case and drink.

Nanu smiled, which was a rare thing to find on his face, as he thought about the many times his partner dragged his drunken self back to his apartment.

_"Of course,"_ Nanu blew out more smoke. _"Those days are well over now."_

Despite what many probably thought, Nanu wasn't native to Alola. He was born and raised in Kanto and served in Saffron's Police Force as a detective. A damn good one too. His sister had long since moved to Alola when Nanu decided he wanted a simpler job once his partner moved on to Sinnoh when he was scouted for the International Police. Actually, both of them had been scouted, but Nanu had declined for reasons only he knew. Now he was here, on Ula'ula. Not exactly the quiet job he had imagined, looking after Po Town and all. Speaking of which,

"Hey!" He barked at the two Skull grunts lurking in the tall grass across the main path. "I can see you in there! Get off my lawn!"

They scurried back to the entrance to Po Town, where he could see Plumeria reprimanding them. She kept the Skull grunts in line for Nanu most of the time unless she was the one out in the field, so he didn't mind her too much. He's even had her over for coffee a couple times. In a different life, she could've been a well mannered and respected girl.

A knock on the glass behind him caused him to turn his head. Hendrickson pointed towards the telephone on the desk, which the handset lay on its side. Nanu nodded and dropped the cigarette on the ground, crushing it beneath his heel. He stepped back inside the station, the rain muffled by the closing door.

"Who is it?" Nanu gruffed.

"I dunno," Hendrickson replied, going back to cleaning. "He just said he's from the International Police."

Nanu sighed and picked up the handset, pressing it to the side of his face. "It's you isn't it."

_"I'll cut to the chase for you,"_ came the reply.

"You'd better," Nanu sat down in a chair half clawed to death. "You know I have no interest in helping the IP."

_"Yeah yeah, I know. But listen, you heard about that incident in Johto five months ago, right?"_

"Sure I have," Nanu replied, uninterested. "Some guys messed up the Radio Tower in Goldenrod."

_"That's not the whole story."_

Nanu sat up a bit straighter as the man on the other end went on. _"The group sent a transmission out from the Radio Tower, but luckily the IP managed to intercept it before anyone heard it. The whole incident was covered up. We don't want Johto or Kanto getting worried just yet."_

"Just tell me who they are already," Nanu said impatiently, but he already knew what was coming.

_"Team Rocket."_

"Dammit," Nanu breathed. "They're back. But why tell me now? It's been five months since the attack."

_"Because after that, there's been no word of them."_

"Until now?" Nanu guessed.

_"I think. Look, I'm not certain, but the IP won't let me form a team together for this one. Anabel is letting me do it on my own, but I figured asking you for help wouldn't matter."_

Nanu rubbed his eyes with his left hand. "Look, I'm not in my prime. Besides, I'm not even a detective anymore."

The man on the other end laughed. _"Yeah well, detective skills are hard to forget. Look, do this one for me. Not for the IP. For me. I'll even treat you to Aipom's Pub when all is said and done."_

Nanu thought about it, then asked, "Where exactly would I need to go."

_"Saffron City. Time to come back home Nanu."_

Grunting, Nanu stood. "Alright then. You win. But this time, you take care of most of the action if needed. I'm not as young as I used to be."

_"Oh how the student becomes the master,"_ the man joked and Nanu almost hung up on him if it wasn't for the man to continue talking. _"I'll meet you at the Saffron Airport and fill you in on the details there. Oh and you'll need to pay for your own plane ticket. I'll pay you back of course."_

"Yeah yeah," Nanu said, then put the handset back down on the receiver, ending the call. Holding up a Dusk Ball, he motioned for Persian. "Come on girl. Time to go."

He turned to Hendrickson after tucking the ball away. "I'll be out of town for a couple days deputy. Keep Po Town in line while I'm gone, you hear?"

He nodded. "Yes sir. Just leave everything to me."

Nanu nodded and started for the door, before looking back and saying, "And Hendrickson?"

He looked at me while picking up a box. "Yes, sir?"

"Leave Team Skull and Po Town alone," Nanu said. "If they come roaming around, ignore them. If it's Plumeria, treat her to some coffee. She'll likely be friendly."

Hendrickson nodded and Nanu walked out the door, saying one last thing before the door closed. "And don't forget to feed the Meowths."

...

Nanu felt horribly jet lagged as he waited on a seat for his old partner to arrive. People and Pokemon bustled by, but Nanu didn't have time to bother watching them. It had been quite a while since he had been out of Alola, let alone his home, Saffron City. He had stared at the city at night as the plane was coming in and had noted that everything had seemed newer and flashier. The airport was a lot cleaner too.

"Hey, Nanu!"

Nanu looked up to see a man in an investigator coat waving at him as he took strides on his black penny loafers over to where he sat. His black hair was cut shorter, his bangs smaller. beneath the trench he wore brown suit pants, white shirt with a pinkish tie, and slightly lighter brown vest over the shirt. Even after all these years, his clothes never seemed to change. He was even older now, but still has a young good looking face.

"It's been a long time," Nanu said, standing. "Old partner."

"Well now," Looker said, smiling. "Partner, maybe. I remember being your apprentice back then. And jeez, back then was way back then."

Nanu scowled. "Yeah, I'm old. One of these days you'll have wrinkles of your own pretty boy."

"Perish the thought," Looker waved his hand. "Now, you want to rest up or shall we skip straight to the main event?"

"Like hell I will rest," Nanu glared at him. "I'm quite capable of continuing on. And with you, I doubt it'll be the main event."

Looker simply beamed and shot a thumb behind him. "I have a cab waiting for us. Just follow me."

"How many times have those words got us into dangerous situations?" Nanu grumbled to himself as he followed Looker.

As soon as they stepped outside, Nanu could hear the pounding rain. "Damn, it's raining here too."

He grabbed a cigarette and was about to light it when Looker snatched it out of his hand and flicked it into a trash can. Nanu glared at him, but didn't try to light another. They located Looker's cab and got in. A divider was up between them and the driver, but man at the wheel seemed to already know where to go as he headed for the exit.

"Where are we heading?" Nanu asked as he tried to get comfortable.

Looker leaned back. "You'll see. Traffics kinda slow, so I'll have time to fill you in."

Lights passed by the windows, red, blue, white, all the kinds you would get in a city like this, all smeared together by rain.

"Just a couple days ago," Looker said. "We got a report of an assault and murder case. Two teens were attacked near an alleyway and the boy was knocked unconscious and girl killed. The boy probably would have suffered the same fate if a man hadn't stepped in and saved him. He carried both to the nearest hospital where both were pronounced dead."

"However," Looker held up a finger. "The boy's body ended up disappearing and it looked like the autopsy had been tampered with."

"Any names to go off of?" Nanu asked.

Looker shook his head. "Not for the two teens, but the other three who attacked them have been identified. Past criminal records. Found dead in the morgue where the girl's body was laid. Throat's slashed with looks of absolute terror on their faces."

He held out a picture and Nanu's lips curled in disgust. Three men were slumped against a white wall, blood splatters streaked across it. The one in the middle, the one with the spiky green hair, had a look as if he was staring at death itself.

"So they attacked the boy and girl," Nanu confirmed with Looker, handing him back the picture. "Then ended up dead where their bodies were laid?"

Looker nodded. "Doesn't add up, right? You see, that's where I think Team Rocket comes in. Something this unbelievable has to be them."

Nanu sighed. "So you brought me out here, on a hunch?"

Looker grinned. "When have I ever been wrong?"

Nanu had to give him credit on that one. Looker's instincts were almost never wrong.

"But why now?" Nanu asked. "Why show themselves now? Doesn't Team Rocket want to stay in hiding?"

"I don't know," Looker said honestly. "But that's why I need you."

"Hmph," Nanu gave him a sideways glance. "I think you just wanted company. You could've done all this yourself."

Looker shrugged. "Maybe. But you see, I need your help with someone specifically. Something you could do without getting into serious trouble."

Nanu groaned. "So that's it now. Fine. We heading to the hospital?"

Looker nodded. "We need access to the security footage and this guy isn't budging."

"Wouldn't the footage have been deleted?" Nanu asked.

Looker shook his head. "Nope. Files are automatically saved on the cloud and can't be deleted, only restricted from being viewed."

"That's either convenient or inconvenient," Nanu huffed as the cab pulled to a stop on the side of the road. He stepped out into the rain, looking up at the hospital.

Looker came around the side of the cab, straightening his trench. "Lets go."

They stepped into the white reception room and Looker merely flashed a badge towards the woman behind a counter before proceeding to walk towards the stairs in the back. After several flights, Looker pushed open a door and they walked down a white hallway. They came to a stop outside a door labeled, "Monitoring Room".

Looker knocked lightly and they heard someone shuffling inside.

"International Police," Looker called in. "Open up."

"Bloody hell," a rough looking man around the age of thirty opened the door. His features were all rugged and matched his short black hair. "I already showed you the footage last time you were here."

"About that," Looker said calmly. "I don't think you showed us quite everything."

The man folded his arms over his white uniform. "I don't have to do nothin. I already did all I was asked to do."

Nanu surged forwards, grasping the man by his collar and shoving him into his chair, the wheels swiveling. Nanu hauled the man up again with surprising strength for a man his age. "Show us the footage of that night."

The man was definitely caught off guard. "Hey now! You're IP! You're not allowed to do this to me!"

Nanu gave a crooked grin and lowered the man back down. "He may be IP, but I sure ain't. And Persian isn't either."

He let out Persian, who stretched and bared her fangs at the man who was now cowering in his chair.

"I'm going to count to three," Nanu said, holding up three fingers. "One... two.. thr-"

Persian had placed her paws on the mans chest, inches from his throat.

"Alright alright," the man yelled. "I'll show you."

Nanu nodded and Persian backed off. The man swiveled his chair around and started typing fast, bringing up several files on a computer separate from the many monitors on the wall. He pressed the enter key and a video began to play. A man in a black suit with a fedora walked through a white hallway, carrying a boy and girl.

"Stop it," Looker said and the man paused the screen, the image flickering slightly. Looker held up a device and scanned the man's face, just visible beneath the hat. Nanu knew he had seen him somewhere before, but where...

"Aha," Looker said, then his face hardened. "Nanu, we need to go."

Looker left the room and Nanu paused to look back at the man. "Talk, and I'll be back."

He left to head after Looker, his Persian following him. Once back out in the rain, they got back in the waiting cab, Persian returned to her Dusk Ball.

"Who was it?" Nanu asked immediately as the cab pulled back onto the street.

Looker's face was still stern. "Giovanni."

Nanu scowled. "You sure?"

Looker nodded. "Positive."

He held up his device which looked like a flat piece of glass and a video popped up on it. The footage.

"I see you downloaded it," Nanu noted.

"Yes," Looker said, skimming through it. After a minute, Looker directed Nanu's attention to it. "Here, look."

Nanu watched as the boy with black hair, who was supposed to be dead, grabbed a scalpel. He walked over to the three men who were found dead in the morgue and slashed their throats in turn, killing them.

"Arceus," Nanu whispered. "A kid did that?"

Looker looked just as disturbed. "And look, Giovanni is right there, just watching. The boy has to be Team Rocket. He might be their secret operative. It would make sense. But why kill those guys? Because they jumped him?"

Nanu tapped the screen, where the girl with dirty blonde hair was still laying on the table. "Her. She died. Must have been young love."

Looker nodded. "Must be." He looked out the window and knocked on the glass divider. It slid down and Looker said, "Pull over to the side of the road here will you. Follow us if we start going somewhere else."

The man nodded and pulled the car of the road and to the curb. Nanu and Looker got out once more and found themselves facing a dark alley. Wet pieces of paper littered the ground and empty beer cans littered the alley as much as he could see. Graffiti lined the brick walls as well as the occasional spot of dried blood.

"I see the dark side of Saffron remains," Nanu said. "I take it this was where they were attacked by the three thugs?"

"It's gotten worse," Looker said. "Much worse. And yes, it is. I have some reports they came down this way from down the street from a restaurant."

He pointed down the road to a building called, "Magmar's Stove". Looker began walking towards it, so Nanu followed. They stepped inside the fancy restaurant and a man in a tuxedo came forwards, sporting a thin pencil mustache.

"May I find you gentlemen a seat?" he queried.

"No," Looker flashed his IP badge. "Official International Police business. I would like to see the list of the last seven days of people who dined here."

"I-I'm sorry sir," the man stuttered, flustered. "But everyone who comes here has a right to confidentiality."

Looker became stern. "Official International Police business. I can have you removed if necessary, but that would put quite a sizable stain on your public image, obstructing official International Police business."

The man paled and stammered, "I-I'll be r-right back."

He left to a back room and Nanu and Looker had to wait a full minute before the man came back with a clipboard and a sheet of names. Looker grabbed it and looked it over. Nanu peeked at it and noted it had the ages of people who came in here. Convenient.

"Got them," Looker announced quietly and pointed down at two names. Ethan and Lily. Age: 14.

"Those their real names?" Nanu asked once they were back in the cab.

"I doubt it," Looker responded. "Now the trick is finding out where they came from. Retrace their steps."

Nanu thought about it, then stepped out of the cab again and into the rain. He looked around, cars driving past and various lights on in the surrounding skyscrapers. He then found what he was looking for.

He began walking swiftly towards a crosswalk where Looker met him. "Where to?"

Nanu pointed. "That bank. It has a camera on the outside, watching the street."

Looker nodded in understanding. "Good eye. Let me do the talking."

Nanu snorted. "You are the one with the badge."

They walked across the street when the cars on either side stopped for them and they walked right up to the bank. Stepping inside, Looker went straight to the man behind the glass wall. Flashing his badge and exchanging a few words, the man let them through a door and into a back room where the security footage played on many screens.

Looker pointed to a monitor that showed the street view on the outside. "That one. Four days ago. Night."

The man at the seat nodded and pulled up the footage. Playing through it as fast as he could while keeping up, Looker paused it after several minutes. It showed two figures, not small enough to be children, but not tall enough to be adults either, walking up to the restaurant. One had dark hair while the other's hair had caught the light, showing it to be blonde.

"Got them," Looker breathed. "Thank you for showing us this."

Nanu and Looker left and headed back to the cab. Once in, Looker tapped on the glass divider. "That way. Just follow the road straight. Should lead us out of the city."

"What are you hoping to find?" Nanu asked once they had entered a road that led into a forest.

"I don't know," Looker admitted.

Nanu scanned the trees outside, window open so he could see. Then he spotted something. He tapped on the glass and said, "Reverse and take the side road on your right."

The driver did so and soon they were on a dirt road, muddy from the rain. After minute, they pulled up to a log cabin that looked abandoned. Looker and Nanu got out and went to the door. Looker knocked, but no one answered, and a quick check said that the lights were out inside. Looker nodded and both drew handguns. They burst into the cabin, flashlights and guns in hand. They shined the beams of light around the cabin, but found no one.

Looker went to check the kitchen and living room while Nanu went down a hall. He checked some of the rooms, but found essentially cobwebs. The last two rooms had something interesting. The first one looked like it was regularly used, with some scattered black clothing, including a ripped up trench coat. As far as he could tell, no personal items aside from that. The next room had belonged to the girls. Clothes were strewn around, but much like the last room, no personal items.

"Looks like they didn't leave anything out in the open that said it belonged to them," Looker said, coming up behind Nanu, who nodded in agreement.

"But," Looker held up a photo. "I found something."

He handed it to Nanu and he shined his light on it. It was the boy and girl. He had messy black hair and brown eyes while the girl had dirty blonde hair and amber eyes, sporting the same happy smile as they stared into the camera, cuddled up on a couch. Nanu flipped the photo over and read two names on the back. Zeno and Willow.

"What now?" Nanu asked as they made their way to the cab.

"Well," Looker replied with a sigh. "While I got some good intel, there's not much to go one here. But at least we know they're somehow connected to Team Rocket, so maybe I can get IP in on this."

Once back in the cab and driving back to Saffron, Looker smiled. "Thanks for coming out here."

Nanu gave a rare smile. "My pleasure. Keep me updated on the case will you?"

Looker nodded. "Sure thing. Now, I think I promised you a drink."

...

Nanu made his way back up Route 17 on Ula'ula Island. Jet lagged once more, all he wanted to do was lay on that couch back at the station once he checked up on Deputy Hendrickson. He had considered lighting a smoke since it wasn't raining for once, but he decided he wouldn't for Hendrickson's sake.

Once he arrived at the Po Town Police Station, he opened the door. "I'm back."

The first thing he noticed was that the place was still a mess. "Hm, I thought you would've at least cleaned up the pla-"

He stopped right there, spotting dried blood on the ground. He narrowed his eyes and looked up, noting that all the Meowth were gone. Nanu drew his gun and walked carefully to the back of the station. That's where he found Deputy Hendrickson, eyes wide as his body lay in a puddle of his own dried blood behind a desk.


	3. Pokémon Dark: Cheryl Pt 1

Cheryl stood just at the entrance to Eterna Forest, her long green hair billowing in the wind. The trees stood higher than her, reaching towards the blue sky. A soft wind blew gently out of the forest, like the breath of a huge monster. The leaves rustled and the branches swayed slightly. She stared into the forest, the darkness within growing ever more ominous.

"Chhhheryllll... Chhhheryllll... Chhhheryllll..."

Cheryl held her hands to her chest, eyes wide. She could feel it coming closer. Gently moving through the forest, weaving between trees, hands outstretched.

"Chhhheryllll... Chhhheryllll... Chhhheryllll..."

She couldn't move. Her legs, they were stuck, rooted to the ground. Cheryl looked down at the soft grass and was horrified to discover she was stuck to the ground, her feet halfway in the earth. Her soft skin began to harden, adopting a dark brown color. She tried to move, but only succeeded in cracking her new skin as it spread. Her arms shot to her side and began to harden as well.

Cheryl opened her mouth in a silent scream. _"It hurts! It hurts so much!"_

She felt her mouth freeze mid-scream, her vision darkening slightly. The braid's in her hair undid themselves as they spread along her body, morphing into leaves. She grew and grew, branches popping out of her, until she was just as tall as the other trees. She was now one with the forest.

"AAAAAAAAUGH!" Cheryl screamed, jerking awake in her bed. Her bed sheets were all twisted around her, sweat coating her body. She started to tremble, tears forming in her eyes. The darkness in her room never felt more haunting as she curled up in a ball, trying to shut the world out.

...

"You have the same dream again?" Gardenia asked as they sat down for their sixth grade class.

Cheryl nodded, her head down on her desk. Her usual immaculate braids were less than perfect today, a sign that something was bothering her.

"That makes this the fifth one right?" her friend asked and Cheryl only nodded again.

Sighing, Gardenia got up and kneeled in front of Cheryl's desk. "Hey, listen. Remember, if you ever need to vent, I'm here for you."

She had such a wide smile, Cheryl almost regretted saying her next words. "Yeah, but not for long."

Gardenia's face fell, but she only gave a soft smile. "Yeah, well then you should just come along with me then on my journey."

Cheryl kept her head down. "You know I'm not cut out to be a trainer like you."

"I tried," Gardenia put her hands up. "Hey, have you told your mom about these nightmares?"

Shaking her head, Cheryl said, "I don't want to bother her with that. She's going through a lot now as it is."

Gardenia blew out her cheeks in frustration. "Alright then, we'll have to try something different."

Cheryl lifted her head. "Hm?"

Gardenia grinned. "We'll just have to conquer your fears together!"

"I don't like where this is going," Cheryl moaned, putting her head down again.

...

"I really don't like this," Cheryl said nervously as she, Gardenia, and two boys they were friends with stood in front of Eterna Forest.

"Hey, no need to worry," Lucas said, giving a flashing smile. "You got me here. I'll protect you."

Lucas was a student from Twinleaf Town attending school here in Eterna City. Since it was spring, he was wearing a white undershirt with a black vest over it, a red scarf, baggy jeans, red and gray shoes, and a dark red hat with a pokeball symbol on the side.

"Plus," he said, wrapping an arm around Ben's shoulder. "Benny here is just as scared as Eterna Forest too, right Benny boy?"

Ben looked sheepish. "I guess. I've heard rumors about this forest, a lot of them."

Lucas lightly hit Ben's back. "Heh, don't worry about some silly rumors Benny! Besides, what we're here for is to show Cheryl there's nothin' to fear about Eterna Forest!"

"Exactly!" Gardenia gave two thumbs up. "That's what I want to hear!"

Cheryl sighed and she and Ben shared similar glances of worry. Luckily they were going into the forest and not the main city, or else they might accidentally break some law.

Still, as Cheryl stared into the forest, she couldn't help but feel shivers down her spine. There was something about this place. She was sure of it. She couldn't help but feel that they should have some Pokemon with them, but since they weren't trainers, it wasn't advised until they were sixteen, unless of course you became a trainer before then, like Gardenia was planning.

Looking at Lucas, she remembered he would be heading back home soon. He always said it was his dream to challenge the Champion, but he always said it would be a couple years until he was ready.

Ben on the other hand, was a shy boy, usually quiet in class. As far as Cheryl knew, he never voiced a dream of his to anyone. That was probably why the two of them were good friends since both had no idea what they wanted out of life.

"Forwards!" Gardenia announced, arm in the air. She pointed towards the forest and began marching, Lucas joining her. Now wanting to be the last one in, she went ahead of Ben, every step filling Cheryl with dread. Then she was in the forest, dapples of light shining through the top of the trees.

She suddenly felt a calming sensation and she no longer felt afraid. She laughed giddily and was vaguely aware of Gardenia smiling.

"Now that we're all good," she said. "How about we play a game?"

"Yeah, this should be good," Lucas said, grinning eagerly.

"Sure," Ben said, yet he looked uneasy, glancing around nervously. That however, was nothing new for him. He used to be picked on before he and Cheryl had become friends, but even then Cheryl couldn't do much for him. Thankfully that's when they became friends with Gardenia and Lucas, who stood up for them.

"Okay," Gardenia clasped her hands together. "Hide-and-seek. This can also count as a bravery test. I'll be it first."

"No fair," Lucas complained. "You're always first."

Gardenia wagged her finger at him. "Hide yourself well and you can be it next turn."

He sighed, then grinned. "Then see ya!"

He took off, avoiding the main path.

Gardenia chuckled, looking away. "He would be better at this if he decided to wait for me to close my eyes."

She looked at Cheryl. "Anyway, you try and stay within this half of the forest. Don't want to get lost and end up at Floaroma Town now."

She covered her eyes with her hands. "You got a full minute. One... two... three..."

Cheryl and Ben ran down the main path, splitting up ten seconds later. Cheryl went right, avoiding shrubs and bushes. Now that she was alone, she felt nervous. Another chill went down her spine, but tried hard to ignore it.

Suddenly, the bush to her right shook. Cheryl stopped dead in her tracks, fear keeping her from moving. It shook once, twice, then a Misdreavus popped out. It eyed the green haired girl before slipping away through the forest.

Shaking, Cheryl stumbled away. Then Gardenia began calling in the distance and she remembered what she was supposed to be doing. Running as quietly as she could, Cheryl went deeper into the forest. Once she thought she was a good distance away, but would be able to find the path if needed, she hid behind a bush.

Cheryl sat there, unable to hear Gardenia, or anything for that matter. The forest was as silent as the grave.

Shuddering, she thought, _"Why did I have to think like that?"_

Listening more intently, Cheryl was surprised to hear absolutely nothing but her own breathing. Trainers coming to challenge the gym in Eterna City would always talk about how lively Eterna Forest was in the Pokemon Center. Cheryl would know since she helped out there on weekends. To hear this amount of silence must surely be unusual.

Cheryl began to shiver. It wasn't cold, but she couldn't stop. She felt so alone right now. So very alone. Eyes wide in unknown terror, she hugged her knees close. The air felt off. No longer tasting of the forest. Thick, stale air.

"Hey," said a voice, shocking Cheryl back into the bush. She looked up to see Ben there, looking worried. "You okay?"

Cheryl hugged his waist, burying her head into his stomach, tears forming in her eyes. Ben made a surprised sound and Cheryl looked up to see his face turned away, tinged red.

Cheryl sat back on the ground, looking away as well. "Um, yeah, I'm fine."

"Good," Ben said, laughing nervously.

After a minute, he sat in front of me and asked, "Didn't you go off the path to the right?"

Cheryl gave him a confused look. "Yeah, you went left."

"I know I did," he said. "Then how'd we end up together?"

"Maybe you accidentally went right at some point," Cheryl suggested.

He shook his head. "I know I didn't. Maybe you went left."

She shook her head like him. "Nuh uh. I know I didn't as well."

He stared at me for a couple seconds before scratching the back of his head. "Huh, that's weird."

"Yeah," Cheryl agreed nervously. She didn't know why, but this situation gave her the creeps.

"FOUND YOU!"

Cheryl and Ben gave identical screams as they shot upwards. Gardenia was there, hands behind her back, grinning. "Man, this was too easy."

Lucas was behind her and he shrugged. "You're too good in a forest Gardenia. Way too good."

He then looked around. "Hey, you guys know where we're at?"

"No," Cheryl said. "Why?"

Lucas grinned. "Follow me."

He went forwards, leaving his friends no choice but to follow him. After a minute, they came to a clearing. At the end of it stood a chateau, lights shining through the windows.

"The Old Chateau," Lucas said. "I've heard trainers talk about it before. They say a butler lives here."

"Oh," Cheryl's eyes went wide. "Yeah, I heard about this place too. Apparently he cooks good food."

"I don't think we should go over there," Ben said nervously. "It looks abandoned. Let's call it a day and-"

BOOM

With the sound of thunder, rain began pouring down on us. With it being just sunny moments ago, Cheryl wondered where this freak thunderstorm could have come from.

"Come on," Gardenia said, running towards the chateau. Feeling an eerie feeling behind her, Cheryl ran after her.

Once Gardenia reached the doors, she pushed. Cheryl stopped next to her as the door opened.

"Huh," Gardenia looked amazed. "Who leaves their doors unlocked way out here in the forest?"

"Doesn't matter," Lucas said, sprinting into the house, hugging himself. "Rain's wet and cold."

With Ben now caught up, they all stepped in after Lucas, who was wiping his feet on the expensive looking carpet. He stopped and looked up. Cheryl let out a small gasp to see a man in a butler's uniform with gray hair and beard standing before them.

After a moment of stunned silence, he smiled. "Welcome children. Are you three lost?"

"No," Gardenia said. "We just wanted to get out of the rain. Do you mind if we stay here until it stops?"

"Not at all," he said kindly. "If you want, you could have dinner with me. It's still hot."

"Yes please," Lucas said happily. "I'm starving."

"Right this way then," he gestured for them to follow him, going up the stairs behind him. Cheryl didn't know if this was the best idea or not, but she didn't feel any creepy sensations here, plus she was hungry as well.

They followed the butler up the stairs to a landing where we turned right up some more stairs. Above the red velvet landing, a painting of a man with a thicker white beard than the butler. Might've been the previous owner.

"Hey," Ben whispered from beside me. "What are we doing?"

Cheryl looked at him. "Going to eat."

He looked distressed, but Cheryl for the life of her couldn't understand why. So she just shrugged and followed the butler along with Gardenia and Lucas. After a minute, they came into a large dining room, a huge table stacked with plates and trays heaped with food. Chandeliers hung above the table and windows were along the side, giving a view of Eterna Forest.

Gardenia gasped. "Can we really eat all of this!?"

The butler smiled. "Of course children. Eat as much as you desire."

Gardenia and Lucas didn't need to be told twice. They took seats next to each other on the left side of the table and began piling their plates. Cheryl took the seat across from Gardenia and Ben reluctantly took the seat next to her. Eager to eat, Cheryl grabbed some food and began eating, her mouth watering at the flavor.

She gave a sideways glance at Ben and saw that his plate was untouched. His hands were clasped in his lap and he looked sick to his stomach.

"Aren't you going to eat anything?" she asked.

He shook his head frantically. He looked like he wanted to say something, but after waiting a few moments, Cheryl went back to eating. Delicious. Absolutely positively delicious.

When they were all full with the exception of Ben, the butler stood from his seat. "It seems to be getting dark out. I wouldn't feel right sending you children out into the forest at night. I can offer you all a room if you'd like."

"Yes please," Lucas said, patting his stomach contently and Gardenia and Cheryl nodded in agreement.

"Good," he extended his arm to the door. "If you would follow me please."

Cheryl got up and Ben, who was wide-eyed, got up so quickly his chair flew back from beneath him, crashing into the window behind him, cracking it. If the Butler noticed, he didn't show it as he already started to lead Gardenia and Lucas away. The loud sound of the cracking of glass hurt Cheryl's head. She held the side of her head, blinking. Everything felt weird now as she felt unbalanced.

By the time Cheryl had regained herself, Ben was there, scared. "Are you alright Cheryl!?"

She nodded slowly, looking around. "What just-"

"Have you finally come back to your senses!?" Ben asked desperately.

She scrunched her face up in pain as she tried to clear the fog from her mind. "Weren't we just eating?"

Ben shook his head. "No, don't you see!?"

He gestured to the table and she looked. There were plates, the trays, the table cloth.

Ben grabbed Cheryl's shoulders, eyes wide in desperation. "No, really look! Concentrate!"

She shook her head and blinked. The plates... the plates... they had no crumbs on them. The trays were empty. No, that wasn't right. There was leftover food on them. There had to be.

Cheryl couldn't understand what was going on as her vision flickered. For a couple seconds, the scenery around her changed. The table was still there, but the white cloth covering it was almost entirely gone, the wood rotting. The plates and trays were covered in layers of dust, what was once food left rotting on them. The chandeliers above had no light, cobwebs strung across them.

Then the brightly covered room came back into focus and Cheryl tottered backwards, her head spinning. "What was that!?"

"You saw it," Ben ran a hand through his hair. "Oh thank Arceus. Don't you see now? Whatever you guys have been talking too doesn't exist. This place has been abandoned for decades. I think you three were under some sort of mind trick or something."

Cheryl felt herself go pale, a chill creeping down her spine. "We need to leave."

Ben nodded, still scared. "Yes. Now you're making sense."

Ben grabbed her hand and began leading her out of the room. "We need to get Gardenia and Lucas."

Cheryl nodded in agreement and they burst into the hall. As Cheryl looked, the beautiful hall morphed into a dark, cobweb ridden hallway, painting torn and the carpet full of holes, showing the rotting wood beneath, before it morphed back again. They ran, then saw Gardenia waving at them from down another hall.

"Hey," she called. "Our room's over here."

Cheryl and Ben ran to her and Gardenia went inside the room. In it were four identical beds with red and gold blankets.

"Isn't it nice?" Gardenia asked with a smile, Lucas already bouncing on one of the beds.

"Listen," Cheryl said, her voice matching Ben's desperation from earlier. "This isn't real. None of this."

"What do you mean?" Gardenia asked, still wearing a smile.

Cheryl grabbed her shoulders, shaking her. "Look, just look."

Gardenia looked around the bedroom, stopping at one spot. "Oh hey, I didn't notice that bookcase before."

She slipped away from Cheryl's grasp and went over to study the books.

Cheryl gaped at her friend, before looking to Lucas, but he had joined Gardenia over at the bookcase.

"What are we going to do!?" Cheryl cried desperately.

"I have an idea," Ben said. "I think what caused you to see was the noise the chair made when it cracked the glass."

"You're a genius," Cheryl said, eyes lighting up. She scanned the room until she spotted a glass lamp candle on a desk. She went over and grabbed it.

"Gardenia," she said, walking over to them. "Lucas."

They looked at her, confused.

Pointing to the lamp candle, she said, "Listen closely."

She threw it as hard as she could on the ground, glass shattering. As the shards flew, Cheryl could see something flicker in Gardenia and Lucas' eyes. They both stumbled backwards, clutching their heads.

"What," Gardenia looked very confused while Lucas just rubbed his eyes.

"Look," Cheryl said, gesturing to the whole room. "Look at it."

They stared, then both gasped. They could see it now. The holes in the beds, the dusty books, the webs strung across them, and the smell of aged wood.

"We need to get out of here," Ben said urgently.

Cheryl nodded in agreement. "Come on you two."

They nodded, still looking unfocused. They rushed out of the room and found the way they had come blocked by the butler.

He smiled. "You three, where do you think you're going."

"Out," Cheryl tried to say as firmly as she could, but even she could feel herself trembling. Something felt way off about him now.

His smile never wavered. "Now that won't do will it."

He walked towards them, sinking into the floor, leaving behind a huge puddle of smoking purple ooze. When his head disappeared into it feet from us, a booming laughter echoed off the walls. The smoke rose higher, sparking with electricity.

"RUN!" Ben yelled and they all took off down the opposite way.

The laughter still echoed off the walls, the smoke chasing them. Cheryl risked a look back, seeing wispy purple claws ripping apart the paint on both walls. A head formed, narrow with bright yellow eyes. It screeched, opening its mouth wide.

Screaming in terror, Cheryl and her friends kept running, turning multiple times before coming to the stairs. They nearly leaped down onto the landing, Ben tripping and falling down the rest of the stairs. Cheryl helped him stand as Gardenia and Lucas threw open the doors.

_**"THERE IS NO ESCAPE!"**_

Cheryl and Ben looked back to see the smoke pouring out into the entrance hall, lightning striking the floor in front of them. Cheryl was frozen as well as Ben. They could hear Gardenia and Lucas screaming at them as the smoke began to glow a golden color. The walls began to disappear, then the floor. All that was left was a purple void. The huge head formed again, a ghostly aura sending spikes of terror through Cheryl's body. Its huge hands floated next to the head, reaching for them, as the mouth opened wide to reveal four large fangs. Both the mouth and eyes glowed bright yellow as it roared.

Cheryl turned her head to see the doorway still there, Gardenia and Lucas gesturing frantically to them. She saw the huge ghost lunge forwards, mouth opened wide. Cheryl tugged Ben and they stumbled for the doorway, to their friends. Right when they were in arms length of the two outside, the ghost reared forwards, snapping its mouth over Cheryl and Ben, cutting off their screams.

...

Cheryl woke up on a dusty, cobweb ridden couch. She looked around to see Ben on the floor next to it.

She shook him. "Ben. Ben. Are you okay."

His eyes fluttered before he looked at her. "I think so."

He sat up. "Where are we?"

Cheryl looked around them. They were in a huge library, cobweb covered bookcases lined along the wall. Above them was a balcony where the second floor to the library was. Candles hung off the walls, purple flames glowing atop them. However, try as she looked, she couldn't see a door at all.

"Are we trapped in here?" her voice shook with fear, panic welling up inside her.

"It'll be okay," Ben said reassuringly. "There has to be a way out."

He pulled her off the couch. "There could be a hidden door behind one of these bookshelves. Let's look around."

Cheryl nodded, shaking as she slowly walked up to a bookcase, a memory surfacing as she felt a vague sense of deja vu. "Heh, reminds me of when we spent all that time in the school library huh."

"Yeah," she heard Ben as he studied a bookcase. "Those were the days huh."

"Yeah," Cheryl agreed, calming down a little now that she was talking. "Hours spent after school, reading, trying to push the shelves. Before we became friends with Gardenia and Lucas."

Smiling sadly, Cheryl sighed. "Why did we stop going to the library."

"Cheryl," Ben said nervously. "How about we get back on track to finding a way out of here."

Cheryl stroked the spine to a red book with faded letters. "I mean, we had so much fun. There was no reason why we stopped. We should've let Gardenia and Lucas join in."

"Cheryl," Ben said again. "We really need to focus."

Cheryl's strokes on the spine were lessening. "I think I remember now. Funny, the memory feels a bit cloudy. You were sick weren't you."

"Cheryl," Ben warned.

Her strokes stopped, a tear sliding down her right cheek. "Oh, that's right. I remember now."

Ben had stopped trying to talk to her, but Cheryl didn't even notice. "You were taken to the hospital."

She turned around. "You died."

Ben wasn't there.

The tear dropped to the floor with a soft _plop_.

Cheryl collapsed to her knees, sitting there as tears fell from her eyes. She remembered. One day she and Ben had been playing in the library when all of the sudden he collapsed. She couldn't wake him up. Of course she knew he had that terminal illness his whole life, but only then had it been real.

Rushed to the hospital, Ben was alive, but he was in the hospital for weeks before he died. After that, Cheryl had moved schools. She was bullied at her new one, but Gardenia and Lucas stood up for her.

"But," Cheryl stared at her shaking hands. "He was there. They saw him. They talked to him."

Cheryl knew it wasn't true.

Earlier when they were standing outside of Eterna Forest, she had imagined Ben was there. She imagined Lucas talking to him.

_"Plus," he said, putting both arms behind his head. "I used to be just as scared as Eterna Forest too."_

_Cheryl looked sheepish. "But I've heard rumors about this forest, a lot of them."_

_Lucas lightly hit his chest. "Heh, don't worry about some silly rumors! Besides, what we're here for is to show you there's nothin' to fear about Eterna Forest!"_

And when they she and Ben were going to start running, Gardenia had talked only to her. She completely ignored Ben. As if he wasn't there. And when she and Lucas found them behind the bush, he wasn't talked to. His concerns about the chateau went unheard by them. The butler had said twice to there being _three_ of them, not four.

"No," Cheryl whispered, clutching her head. "Nonononononononononono!"

"He has to be real," her head whipped upwards as she got up and began stumbling around the room in a panic. "He was there, I know he was! Ben, he didn't die! He's here, he was there! It's not in my head!"

She screamed, crouching low, shutting her eyes as tight as she could. He had to be real. He had to be. She wasn't wrong. He was alive.

"Oh you poor thing."

Cheryl's heart stopped. An icy chill swept over her as the purple flames seemed to dim slightly. She slowly lifted her head to see shoes in front of her face. Small, petite shoes, floating in the air, connected to pure white legs disappearing beneath a white, glowing dress. Arms holding a Buneary doll close to her chest. A stark white face of a young girl, black and red bruises under her emerald eyes. Long black hair flowing down her back, her face sporting a creepy smile, eyes showing pity.

"Oh," she said, disappointed. "You had to remember."

She leaned her head down. "Oh, my dear."

Her head whipped upwards, her hair flowing in all directions, face splitting open to reveal a glowing purple face with huge red menacing eyes, sharp pointed teeth lining her mouth as her huge tongue hung out. She let out a horrifying scream, drowning out Cheryl as she screamed in pain and terror.


	4. Pokémon Dark: Allister Pt 1

Rain pounded outside the small glass window as the old TV crackled with static in the corner. The dark, gloomy basement was lit faintly by the screen. Whimpering came from the corner of the room followed by a quiet sniffle.

A loud bang and yellowish light flooded in from the top of the old wooden stairs. They creaked as heavy footsteps came down, the figure of a tall man outlined by the TV as the door above closed slowly. His head turned to look at the two in the corner, his face hidden in shadows.

"So, you're awake," he said, coming closer, each step striking fear into the boy's heart. "That's good. You've been out for quite some time."

He knelt next to the boy and Pokemon, rubbing his head. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you."

A slithering noise and a Seviper curled around the boy's Pokemon. "But your Pokemon will have to deal with poison if you put one toe out of line."

His face grew solemn. "Just remember, you're here because you put your nose where it didn't belong. This isn't personal. I can't have you telling the cops who I am now can I."

He got up and turned back towards the stairs, his Seviper uncurling and following his master.

"My friends," the boy managed to croak. "Where...?"

He began coughing, doubling over in pain. The man stopped with his hand on the wooden railing, his face unturned. "You don't remember then."

A creepy smile crept onto his face. "Their blood was lovely to watch gush out."

...

"I tell you, this is going to be one cold winter."

Allister glanced out of the tree house window at the clear blue sky. "No kidding. It's freezing."

He sat back against the wall away from the window, breathing, as he watched his breath float away. The sun shone through the window as it set, providing little warmth. His best friend since they were little, Jackson, was leaning out the window now.

"Emily is coming," he said, then, "Hey! Up here!"

He waved his hand frantically. The rope ladder in the corner shook as Emily began climbing up. Her curly blonde hair popped up first, then her blue eyes.

"Hey," she said as she climbed up the rest of the way. "Look who I just got."

She was wrapped in several layers, on top a puffy white coat. She grabbed a pokeball and let out a Yamper. His small tail wagged and small sparks flew.

"Hey," Jackson whined. "How come you got a Pokemon already?"

She looked superior. "Because I'm responsible. I was told not to do any Pokemon battling though."

Jackson pouted. "Man, now I'm the only one who doesn't got a Pokemon."

"I don't have one," Allister raised a hand.

Jackson shook his head. "That Pokemon always shows up near you. It's basically yours."

"I guess," Allister rubbed his black hair. "But I haven't actually caught him or been gifted a Pokemon, so technically I don't have one."

That seemed to cheer Jackson up a little. "You're right. And once we all get our own Pokemon, we should all battle!"

"A three-way battle?" Emily looked surprised.

"Yeah!" Jackson gave a thumbs up. "That way we're all included!"

"How will that work genius?" Emily asked drily, rubbing her Yamper's fur.

"I don't know," Jackson admitted, but his excitement never wavered. "But we can do it!"

Allister stood and glanced out a different window. "We should be go- hey, what's he dragging?"

"What?" Both Jackson and Emily asked as they joined him by the window. Their neighbor, Andrew Jones, was going through his backyard and into the woods behind his house. Tall hedges blocked the view from Allister's house to his, but high up in their tree-house, they could peer into his backyard through the tree leaves. Andrew was currently pulling along a large black bag into the forest with one hand. In his other, a shovel.

"What's he doing?" Jackson wondered.

"I dunno," Emily said, returning Yamper to his Pokeball. "But me and Yamper have to go home."

"So soon?" Jackson looked at her.

"I was saying that already," Allister said. "It's going to be night soon and it's only getting colder. Besides, my mum's cooking curry tonight."

"Oh that sounds so good," Jackson was practically drooling. "Hey, think your mum will let me stay over. My parents won't even notice."

"Sure," Allister said as Emily climbed down. "I still have that old sleeping bag in my closet. You can use that tonight."

"Sweet," Jackson began climbing down as well, his brown hair the last to go.

Allister was about to follow his best friend, when he glanced out the window once more. The forest was seemed to give off a eerie vibe and he swear he saw a blue flame for a second. Shrugging it off, he began climbing down the rope ladder.

...

"Man," Jackson sighed contently as he unrolled the sleeping bag. "Your mom always makes the best curry."

"She does," Allister agreed, spreading his blankets.

"Augh!" a thump noise and Allister turned around to see Jackson had fallen back as a Pokemon now floated in the middle of the room.

"Oh," Allister said, coming over. "Hey Ghastly."

The Ghost type quivered in happiness as it rubbed close to Allister. Then it hovered over towards the window, just staring at the closed blinds.

"What is it?" Allister wondered, sensing a sort of curiosity from Ghastly.

He peeked through the blinds and into the darkness of night, lit only by a couple lights installed in the backyard. He couldn't see anything at first, but then spotted movement. Andrew was going back into his backyard, the shovel over his shoulder. He kept looking around nervously, then his face shot up to look directly at Allister. Somehow the light caught him in a perfect angle, highlighting his eyes and-

The black-haired boy dropped to the ground, the blinds snapping together, and he gasped for breath, unsure why he was doing so.

"What?" Jackson asked, going towards the blinds.

"No, get down," Allister gripped Jackson's leg and pulled him down.

Jackson, giving him a weird look, got onto his knees and carefully peeked through the blinds.

"I don't see anything," he said. "Oh, wait, Andrew is going back into his house."

He looked at his friend. "What's got you spooked?"

Allister shook his head, taking another peek out the window. He could see the shovel Andrew was carrying now leaning against the side of his house. He let out a breath and sat down.

"Seriously," Jackson was confused. "What did you see?"

"I..." Allister hesitated. "He came out of the woods, then looked at me. He could've just been looking at the window, he might even not have seen me, but I swear he did. And..." he gulped, almost too afraid to say his next words. "Blood."

"Blood," Jackson looked alarmed and peeked through the blinds as if Andrew was going to come back out. "Is he okay?"

"I don't know," Allister was unsure, slightly shaken. The irrational fear had taken him quickly, yet he didn't even stop to think about why. What if Andrew really was hurt? But, why had he looked so nervous? Why did he look at him, or rather, his window?

Ghastly was still staring at the blinds intently, then floated through the window and into the night.

"And there he goes," Jackson shook his head. "I guess he isn't really your Pokemon if he just ups and leaves like that."

He stretched, exaggerating a yawn. "I'm sure he's fine. He might've just hurt himself. If it's really bad, there will be an ambulance here soon."

"Yeah, yeah," Allister nodded, lifting himself up, then realized his hand was shaking. Why did this unnerve him so much? Trying to shake away the feeling, he went out into the dark hallway and into his bathroom to brush his teeth. When he got back, Jackson was already lounging on his sleeping bag, flipping through some Pokemon magazines.

"Hey, that's cool," Jackson grinned. "They've invented some new kind of pokeballs. Luxury Balls they call 'em. Huh, pretty expensive though for a pokeball."

"It's for the rich," Allister shrugged. "Anyway, that magazine is close to a year old now. They're not new."

"Oh," Jackson sat it down on a pile of other magazines. "Hey, you watch the news?"

"No," Allister shook his head. "My mum won't let me."

"You gotta hear this," Allister heard Jackson say as he shifted his sleeping bag. "There's a serial killer here in Galar."

"What?" Allister turned to look at his friend, who was climbing into his sleeping bag.

"Yep," Jackson nodded. "Saw it on TV before I left home to come here. Apparently they've already murdered several kids. One in Turffield a month ago and one they recently found out in Wedgehurst."

"Wedgehurst," Allister was spooked now as he turned off the lights and climbed into bed. "That's close by."

"Yep," Jackson rolled onto his side by the sound he made. "Though I wouldn't worry. Nothin' ever happens in Hurford. That's why once I can get my own Pokemon, I can finally go around Galar, training to become stronger. My dream is to one day become a gym leader."

"Yeah," Allister shifted uncomfortably under his sheets. He never really like talking about stuff like murder or anything of the sort. He just couldn't stand them, but he didn't stop Jackson 'cause he was his friend. Yet, he found a strange fascination for ghosts, specifically the Pokemon. He always felt a strange sense of comfort whenever Ghastly was around. He was an oddity for sure.

As he drifted off to sleep, his mind as usual brought him back to full awareness. He's always had an overactive imagination, once having believed in monsters under the bed for the longest time. But now, his brain kicked into overdrive, connecting things Allister didn't want connected, but couldn't stop himself thinking about in the dark room.

There was a serial killer in Galar, one case having happened recently over in Wedgehurst, which was only a couple hours journey down the road from Hurford by car. Despite what Jackson had said, what if the killer came here next!? \Allister shivered and pulled the blankets up tighter. After all, if Hurford wasn't that far away from Wedgehurst, wouldn't that entice whoever was murdering children out there?

A dark thought crept into his mind and he struggled to push it away, but to no avail. His eyes wandered across the room until he was looking at his window. Hadn't he seen Andrew pulling a large bag into the forest earlier with a shovel? Then he only came back with the tool and what looked like blood on his shirt...

Allister cursed his overactive imagination, trying to purge the thoughts. He knew his mind was just trying to come up with stuff to make him scared, connecting nonexistent dots, so he forced himself to close his eyes and try to sleep, no matter how long it took.

...

"See, he's fine," Jackson said, pointing towards Andrew, who was making a new flowerbed in his backyard. "What did I tell ya?"

"Hmm," Emily looked up where she was rubbing Yamper's belly. "Who?"

"Andrew," Jackson said as Allister looked for himself out of the tree house window. Sure enough, Andrew looked fine, albeit covered in dirt as he shoveled some more dirt into the hole he had made. Several pots of flowers sat nearby, waiting to be planted.

"Huh," Emily looked out the window. "You know there was a serial killer on the news, right?"

"Yeah," Jackson nodded. "Saw it yesterday. Pretty wacky."

"And you said Andrew had blood on his shirt last night, right?" Emily asked, wanting to make sure.

Allister looked at her, seeing that his friend was connecting the same dots he had last night.

"Yeah..." Jackson raised an eyebrow. "So what?"

"What if..." Emily's voice lowered slightly. "Andrew is the serial killer?"

"He's what!?" Jackson practically shouted and Allister, mostly out of fear clamped his hands over his friend's mouth, not liking one bit that Emily came up with the same thing he did. It had to be a coincidence.

Allister and Emily both glanced out the window to see that Andrew had stopped his shoveling and was staring at them. With slightly shaky hands and nervous smiles, they waved and hauled Jackson down out of sight.

"Why do you always have to be so loud!?" Emily hissed, Yamper licking her hand and she rubbed his head.

"Sorry," Jackson apologized. "But seriously? Andrew a serial killer?"

"Yeah," Allister nodded, looking at Emily, desperate for a reason, any reason to debunk this theory. "How could he be?"

She shrugged. "I'm not saying he is, but it kinda fits."

"Nah," Jackson waved his hand. "Besides, a kid was murdered all the way out in Turffield. Not here."

Allister hated that he had to remind him. "But wasn't there a recent death in Wedgehurst?"

"Oh yeah," Jackson looked thoughtful. "But we would've known if he was out of town."

Allister sat back, unable to argue, but Emily was deep in thought. "But... he did leave around a month ago, remember? I remember not seeing him at all for about a week."

Jackson snapped his fingers. "I remember too! He was on vacation over in the Isle of Armor wasn't he?"

"But what if he wasn't?" Allister asked quietly, a shiver running down his spine. He hated this. He wanted Ghastly here. He felt safe whenever he was around Ghost types. Something about not being able to fully understand them except that most had terrible origins made him feel safe when he was with one. Things that were real like this scared him.

...

Allister pulled his blankets nearly over his head as he lay in his dark room. They had left the tree house early, Allister having come up with an excuse he had some house chores to do. In reality, he just wanted to get far away from Andrew. He kept telling himself that everything was just pure coincidence, but the thoughts never left him.

He shut his eyes tightly, listening to the sound of his heartbeat. It was louder than usual, filling his eardrums with the noise. A chill crept down his spine and Allister began sweating nervously. He had heard something. It was so sudden and muted, he figured his mind was playing tricks on him. But...

He shifted beneath his blankets, letting his eyes wander the dark room. His eyes began adjusting, the shadows in the room seeming to grow more sinister. A looming presence, then Allister felt something grab him roughly by the hair, another hand going to cover his mouth with a foul smelling rag. He struggled, but the hands gripping him were strong and smelled of dirt, and his vision began going blurry. He felt his arms and legs go limp as his eyes rolled into the back of his head and darkness swept over him like a wave.

...

He awoke to the smell of damp dirt. He shivered on the wet ground, slick grass pressed against his face. It was dark, his eyes not yet adjusted to the forest around him. There were no other noises, not even the usual sounds of night Pokemon.

As Allister tried to sit up, his head went fuzzy as he experienced vertigo. He dropped his hands onto the dirt, clinging to it to stay upright. After a minute, his head was clear enough for him to stand on shaky legs. He blinked rapidly, the fear within him pumping adrenaline throughout his body, allowing him to adjust to the unusual situation before him faster than it probably would have without it.

Different sizes of trees stood around him, some with craggily branches, others with pointy pine needles. He recognized the trees as ones that grew around his town of Hurford, but where exactly in that huge forest eluded him.

The gnawing sense of fear was becoming too much. Tears welled up in his eyes as he walked backwards, not even knowing why. He was too scared to even think straight. Then he tripped on a root behind him and fell on the soft earth. Except, it wasn't a root. It was an arm.

Allister couldn't help but give a short scream of terror, it cutting off once he saw the arm connected to a body and face that was familiar.

"Jackson," he whispered, not believing it for a moment. Then he started shaking his best friend. "Jackson! Hey, Jackson!"

The other boy groaned and his eyes fluttered open. He tried to sit up, but immediately his hands shot to his head in pain.

"Bloody hell," he grunted. "What happened?"

"I don't know," Allister could hear the panic in his words.

"Wasn't there someone..." Jackson trailed off as his face turned pale and the fear that was within Allister was painted clearly on Jackson as well.

Allister remembered now, even if only a little. But that was enough. Enough to know how grave the situation they were in. The strong hands that had held him long enough to drug him unconscious and bring him here.

Jackson shot to his feet, arms and legs shaking. "We gotta get out of here!"

"Wait," Allister looked around, glad his mind was still working. "What about Emily?"

"Emily?" Jackson's eyes were wide with confusion. "What about her?"

Allister didn't really know why he had thought that, then the pieces in his head finally connected. "If it was him, then wouldn't he abduct Emily as well?"

"Him?" Jackson still looked confused, then his eyes widened further in fear. "You mean... Andrew!?"

Allister gulped, not wanting to be the one to say the name aloud. But now that it had been said, it felt even more real. It only made sense. He must've heard them talking about the idea of him being the serial killer, then he abducted them in case one of them would decide to talk about it to others.

Jackson looked around nervously. "There's no way we could find her here if she isn't around here!"

Allister felt the panic nearly overtake him, but he forced himself to think calmly, or rather, as calmly as he could. _"Think!? What would Emily do in a situation like this!?_"

"We..." Allister gulped. "We could look around the area and check for her. If she's not here, then we have to run back to Hurford to get help."

"But where is Hurford!?" Jackson was near yelling at this point and Allister instinctively shushed him.

"Sorry," Jackson muttered. "But how will we find our way back?"

"We'll have to pick a direction and hope for the best," that was the best Allister could offer and they both knew it was the only choice. Then, both of their hearts stopped as something rustled a nearby bush. Both turned slowly towards it and heard a hissing noise.

"R-!" Jackson never finished his sentence, taking off with Allister close behind him. They ran through the near pitch-dark forest, stumbling over roots and crashing through bushes, collecting a ton of scratches while doing so. There were no thoughts of finding Emily now even if she was there. Now they only wanted to get as far away from that noise as possible.

"Augh!" Jackson yelled in pain as he fell and Allister came to a sudden halt beside him.

"What happened!?" his voice was frantic.

"My leg," there were tears in Jackson's eyes, face scrunched up in pain. Allister looked and saw just above his left ankle there was a bite mark, the area already oozing liquid and the surrounding skin turning darker.

"C'mon," Allister said hurriedly, trying to help his friend to his feet. He let him lean on him, putting his arm over his shoulder. Then they began stumbling forwards, Allister's heart racing a kilometer a second. Within a minute, Jackson's breathing was getting harsher and harsher.

"Stay with me," Allister pleaded, trying to pick up the pace, but couldn't do anymore lest they fall.

Suddenly there was a loud crash in the bushes somewhere behind them and Allister screamed, ignoring his previous thoughts and practically ran, Jackson clenching his teeth in pain as he tried to use his injured leg. They burst from the bushes and into a clearing. There in the middle was a cabin, illuminated a little by the moon which was partly covered by clouds. It looked old and abandoned, but Allister had to hope someone lived there, someone who could help.

Then he saw something that made him stop dead in his tracks. Something that chilled Allister and Jackson to their cores and made them both want to vomit and cry out in pain.

Something hit him in the back of the head and Allister fell forwards, dropping Jackson as he went down, his friend shouting in pain as he landed on his injury. Allister felt himself losing conscious, his positioning on the cool grass allowing him to see two thing at once. His friend, Jackson, being shadowed by a large figure, pulling his head back by the hair and pressing something to his exposed throat, and then there was his other friend. She lay on a stump, eyes wide and empty, staring off into nowhere.

Allister couldn't do anything but watch in those last moments before he drifted away, a single tear sliding down his face.

...

Allister stared silently at the moon through his mask, sitting on his favorite spot on top the roof of his home in Stow-on-Side, feet dangling off the edge. What had happened only a couple years ago would never leave him, those images of his two friends never stopped being replayed in his head. He had been weak then, too weak to do anything.

He looked at his Dusk Ball in his hand. The one that held his Gengar in it, which was once that Ghastly that visited him every night in his room. The one friend and only family from his time in Hurford that was still with him.

Allister swung his legs slightly, feeling the cool breeze filter beneath his mask. He chose to go on a journey, despite his fears of the world, but the mask helped him stay mostly in control of his feelings. If no one could see that he was scared, then he wasn't scared. He gained popularity for his use of Ghost types, the one type of Pokemon that he felt a kinship with, now more than ever since that night. He soon found himself in the position to become a new Gym Leader for the Stow-on-Side stadium. He still had several battles ahead of him, namely with Bea, who he would battle for the right to take ownership of the Gym Stadium here for the next League Season.

"I'm going to accomplish your dream," he whispered the full sentence beneath the mask, something he rarely did nowadays. "I'll become a gym leader for you instead, Jackson. I'll be strong enough to handle the world then, won't I?"

A sense of fear arose within him, one that he tried to suppress. Despite getting away from that cabin that day, he knew he would never be able to run away from it entirely. Because he knew he was still out there. Andrew was still out there somewhere, a desire to finish the job surely on his mind.

"Come," Allister whispered, leaning back beside the two ghostly figures on either side of him. "I will avenge them. I will kill you."


	5. Pokémon Dark: Lucas Pt 1

"You're Pokemon are all better now," Nurse Joy bowed her head as Lucas grabbed his pokeballs.

"Thanks, Nurse Joy," he smiled and took his leave of the Pokemon Center. He wasn't usually awake in the middle of the night, but he had plans to meet up with a friend. He tugged his scarf tighter and breathed, watching his breath fade away into the cold night. Snow was falling lightly, covering the sidewalks in a thin layer of white. Eterna City was lit up, providing light even at this hour.

As Lucas walked, he noticed there were still a lot of people and their Pokemon out shopping or just hanging about. He waved off a guy and his Ambipom trying to sell him some vendor food and continued on his way. He soon came to the edge of the city, overlooking Eterna Lake. As he walked along the sidewalk, the occasional car zoomed past, their headlights lighting him up. He looked out across the lake, seeing a Gyarados curl up out of the water for a second, then disappearing.

Lucas sighed, looking down as he walked.

"Hey, Lucas," a voice called out to him. He looked up to see his old friend Gardenia just up ahead. Instead of wearing her usual green shawl and brown shorts she now wore a big green winter coat and brown pants.

"It's great to see you again," she hugged him and he hugged back. Memories of their school days and early adventures came back to him. "How are you doing?"

"Not bad," Lucas stepped away. "I've got a couple new Pokemon since we last parted ways and I plan on trying the Lily of the Valley Conference when it starts up again."

"That's great," Gardenia congratulated him as they began walking together.

"So," Lucas said. "How's your training going?"

She grinned. "Not bad if I say so myself. I'll be accepted as Eterna City's new Gym Leader soon. You should come battle me when you get the chance."

"I already got my badge though," Lucas laughed. "Yeah, alright, sure I can."

Gardenia's smile disappeared and her expression turned serious. "No, you won't."

Lucas opened his mouth, then closed it again. He turned his head away. "Yeah, you're probably right."

"I know you hate being here," Gardenia put a gloved hand on his shoulder.

Lucas didn't meet her gaze, thinking back to when they were all younger. He, Gardenia, and Cheryl. He remembered what he had said to his friend at that time. Every single word. _"Heh, don't worry about some silly rumors! Besides, what we're here for is to show you there's nothin' to fear about Eterna Forest!"_

Lucas' face tightened. He had let her down. All he was able to do was show her that there was everything to fear about that accursed forest.

"I should've been a better friend," he whispered. "I failed her."

"Shh," Gardenia stopped in front of him, grasping both of his shoulders. "It's not your fault! If it's anyone's, it's mine! I'm the one who came up with the idea!"

She closed her eyes, tightening her grip on Lucas. "We can't change what's happened 5 years ago. We just have to accept reality for what it is."

Lucas didn't say anything, just cast his eyes down. Gardenia took his hand and led him the rest of the way. They left the side of the lake and further into Eterna City. Soon they came to a grassy hill with many stones protruding from the earth. Once they came to a stop, Lucas knew they were there. He kneeled, wiping snow of the gravestone as he read the name.

"Cheryl," he whispered, running his finger along the grooves of the engraved letters.

He remembered back when they were children, after the whole Old Chateau incident. The local police had found Cheryl deep within the house in a library, shaking and out of her mind. They ended up admitting her to the Eterna Psychiatric Hospital where she had stayed for years after Lucas and Gardenia left on their journey through Sinnoh. They stopped by a couple times to check up on their friend, who was never the same after their haunting experience.

Lucas looked at the gravestone adjacent to Cheryl's. One of the times they had come back to visit was for Cheryl's mother's funeral. She was already not doing good, but she went over the edge with what happened to her daughter. She ended up overdosing on her medical pills. Cheryl, who was present at the funeral accompanied by the hospital staff, didn't even realize they were all there for her mother.

Lucas tried and failed to stop a tear from rolling down his cheek. The last time he had been in Eterna City was to both see Gardenia off and visit Cheryl for the last time just last year. Gardenia was accepted to train as the next gym leader, but while they were both there, they found out Cheryl had escaped the Psychiatric Hospital again, but this time was found dead. That funeral was all it took for Lucas not to visit Eterna City until today, spending most of the last year in Twinleaf Town, his home. He even refused to participate in that year's League Conference.

He set his mind, determined on what he had planned to do. He rose, smiling at Gardenia. "Thanks for coming out this late to accompany me. I... I don't think I could have done this by myself."

"Always," Gardenia promised. "If you don't mind my prying, why did you decide to come back?"

"I-" Lucas hesitated. "I came back because I want to investigate that so called "Psychiatric Hospital"."

"Lucas," Gardenia's expression became one of sympathy, but also one of annoyance, like she had expected this. "Not this again."

"You were there," he gripped his gloved hands into fists. "That place, there was something off about it, even before Cheryl was admitted. They were the cause of her death, I know it!" he turned on Gardenia, pointing at the grave. "You saw her body!"

"I don't know what I saw," Gardenia whispered, not looking at him.

"Yes, yes you do," His voice was shaking and his hands trembled. He felt tears trickle down his face and he hurriedly wiped them away. This was no time to cry. He would allow himself to once he had managed to uncover what the hospital really was. He knew Gardenia wouldn't like him doing this, so he pushed past her and headed towards the metal fencing surrounding the graveyard.

"Lucas," Gardenia shouted and he stopped to look back. She stood there, holding a pokeball out in front of her. "I can't let you do this! This is just going to cause more pain than it's worth! For the both of us!"

She was crying, Lucas could see that in the light provided by various lamps in the graveyard. But he knew he would never be able to let Cheryl rest peacefully in his mind unless he did what he had to do.

He unhooked his pokeball from his belt. "I have to. You know I have to. Please don't try to stop me, Gardenia."

Gardenia's hand gripped her pokeball tighter as she struggled to hold back tears. She opened the pokeball, letting out her Torterra. "Razor Leaf!"

Lucas let out his Abomasnow. "Ice Shard."

The Ice type shot the Razor Leafs and a couple spare shards of ice slammed into Torterra. "Finish with Sheer Cold!"

Unable to move fast, Torterra was froze solid.

Gardenia slid to her knees, sobbing. Lucas felt his emotions rise in him, but he turned away before he acted on them, making sure to return Abomasnow. He had to do this before he backed out. If he did, he knew he would never forgive himself. So he left, leaving his distraught friend behind.

...

Just on outside the edge of the city was where the Eterna Psychiatric Hospital was located. Lucas glared at the sign that said that on the metal fence. How they decided on that name angered him to no end. It made it sound like the stay here would be eternal.

He made sure to stay hidden by a couple of trees on the edge of the property as to not be seen by various security cameras. He knew those were set up to find people who've tried to escape, but he still felt it was overkill. He looked up past the gate and at the big gray building. Solid with various cracks, moss growing out of them, and a depressing atmosphere.

Lucas tightened his fist. He knew there was something going on inside there. Something that wasn't known to the public and he was going to find out what it was. He unlatched one of his pokeballs and let out his Staraptor.

"Get us in there," Lucas told his Pokemon. "As quick as you can. We don't want to be seen by the cameras or anyone. Get me near the building, in the cover of some of the trees by it."

"Star," Staraptor nodded and Lucas got onto his back. He held onto his Pokemon's feathers tightly as the Flying type shot upwards and up into the sky. He zoomed over the tall fence and soared towards the building. The windows were all dark inside, aside from a few. Staraptor avoided the ones that were lit and landed Lucas and himself in-between a couple of dying trees.

"Thanks," Lucas thanked him as he returned him to his pokeball. He grabbed a second pokeball. "Kadabra, I choose you."

The Psychic type appeared next to him and Lucas pointed at the stone wall. "Teleport inside please. Find a spot where you can teleport me in unnoticed."

Kadabra nodded and disappeared into thin air. After a minute, Lucas found himself inside the hospital inside a supply closet.

"Good job," he returned Kadabra and slowly opened the door, cringing at the creaking noise it made. He peered out. It was a long hallway to his left while there was a corner to his right. There were several doors on one wall, most if not all leading to a patient's room. He recognized the area now. There should be a set of stairs just down the hall to his left.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped out and carefully walked down the hall towards where he could now see the stairs on his right. As he neared them, he heard footsteps from behind the corner behind him. Quickly, trying not to make a sound, he bolted forwards and up the stairs. He checked up to make sure there was no one there and stopped, listening. He heard the closet door get closed shut and whoever was down there proceeded on walking, the sounds of his footsteps casual.

Lucas let out a small sigh of relief and headed up the rest of the way. He knew the Warden's office was on the second floor, so that's where he decided he would investigate first. After making sure there was no one in the hallway, he headed down in the direction he was sure where the Warden's office was. After cautiously turning a corner and heading down the hall a bit, to his right was another small hallway. Just ten feet away was a door with a metal sign on it.

"Warden's Office," Lucas read, checking through the small door window to make sure no one was in there. He tried the knob, but it was locked. He let out Kadabra again. "Get me in there."

One teleportation later, Lucas was in. He instructed the Psychic type to stand guard and alert him if anyone was heading towards the office. In the room, there were a couple of bookshelves and a desk. He shoved the comfy chair out of the way and opened the drawers in the desk. In there he found files. He began shuffling through them, getting irritated at not finding anything useful. He closed the drawers angrily, then winced at the loud noise it made. He hoped the sound didn't make it out of the office.

He tried the last drawer, only to find it locked. He stepped back and let out his Empoleon. "Cut that open will you."

Empoleon nodded and sliced her arm across the drawer lock, breaking it open. Lucas knew this was bound to be noticed by the Warden in the morning, but he had no choice. He looked through the files, finding one labeled, "Failed Experiments". Taking that one out, he opened it only for a couple papers and several pictures to fall out. He bent to pick them up, his breath catching when he saw one of the pictures. It was Cheryl.

With shaking hands, he picked it up and looked at it with wide eyes. It was a picture of her when they found her outside of Eterna Forest when she had escaped this place for the final time. He had already memorized the state she had been in, but seeing it again nearly made him sob. Her lifeless eyes staring into the depths of the forest, her skin rough and the color of tree bark.

He picked up a couple other pictures, only to drop them not even a few seconds later. He held his stomach, wanting to throw up. Those... those pictures... He closed his eyes tightly, trying to erase those horrid images from his head. He didn't really know what he saw exactly, but he could tell they were pictures of failed fusions of humans and Pokemon.

Empoleon wrapped her arms around her trainer, comforting him. Lucas steadied his breathing after a minute. "Thank you."

He stood, braving another look into the drawer. He pulled out more folders, finding pictures of incubation tanks in a facility of sorts, the backs of people in black and white uniforms that looked oddly futuristic. There was a symbol that appeared on every page in the shape of a yellow G, even on the peoples' uniforms. It was familiar, but he couldn't place it until he found a name mentioned.

"Team Galactic," he breathed. "What do they have to do with all this?"

He knew Team Galactic was an organization dedicated to helping the Pokemon of this world and creating new technology, but that was all he knew. Then he found the most crucial information yet.

_"Thanks to the cover of the Eterna Psychiatric Hospital,"_ he read. _"We are able to proceed with many of our planned experiments without fear of outside involvement. With the laboratories beneath the facility, many of these experiments have proved unsuccessful, but not without providing more knowledge. As of now, Project Delta is still in the trial phases, the planned fusion scheduled for when a suitable host body is found."_ Further down, he read, _"Due to unforeseen problems, the laboratories had to be abandoned. Any attempt to get inside will result in..."_

Lucas set down the paper he was reading off of. He had suspected something like this, but now he knew it was true. If he spent anymore time here, that was time he could be caught. "I have to get this to the police." He began grabbing the files out of the drawer, stuffing them together.

As he grabbed the last folder, he noticed a rectangular device on the bottom with several different buttons. He picked it up, but his fingers fumbled and it slipped out of his hand. It landed face down. As he picked it up, he noticed one of the red buttons was lighting red. He heard something move behind him and he turned to see a portion of the wall sliding open. On the other side was a small metal room; an elevator.

Suddenly, he heard a loud commotion outside the room. He heard someone talking.

"Found a Kadabra up here outside the Warden's Office," the voice said. "Don't know if he's alone. I'm going to check the Warden's Office."

Lucas froze, unsure of what to do. His eyes went to the elevator and he scrambled for it, his Empoleon joining him. He quickly scanned the button panel and pressed one of the only two buttons.

"Going down," he whispered, looking up to see a security guard opening the door to the office. He looked surprised to see Lucas and his Empoleon, rushing over, but it was too late. The elevator doors closed and Lucas felt it moving down.

"Phew," he sighed. "We'll have to devise a plan to get out of here. We'll need to rescue Kadabra as well."

Empoleon nodded and after ten seconds, the elevator stopped. The doors slowly opened to a dark metal corridor. Lucas took a second to grab a flashlight from his backpack and switched it on. It was creepy down here, clearly abandoned just like the paper had said.

"Damn," he cursed, realizing he had dropped most of the papers in the office. He took the rest and stuffed them into his bag. "This will have to do."

Then the elevator closed and began going back up.

"They're coming," Lucas groaned. "Come on, Empoleon. We'll have to find another way out."

They ran together down to the right, turning a corner. After several minutes, they both entered a room filled with computer monitors. Most were blank, but a few were still on. One of them had a flashing red image on it's screen. Taking a couple more steps to read it, he stopped, his heart stopping as he heard bloodcurdling screams echo down the halls and into the room. Lucas and his Empoleon turned towards the door, a sense of dread filling the two of them.

Continuing to flash on the screen in red was the last message that went out through the base back when it was being abandoned.

**"WARNING! PROJECT DELTA HAS ESCAPED!"**

Lucas stumbled back, only to trip. His eyes widened at what he saw beneath the control console.

**"WARNING! PROJECT DELTA HAS ESCAPED!"**

Lucas screamed, the dead person's eyes staring right back at him, wearing the same uniform he had seen in the pictures, body ripped in two.

**"WARNING! PROJECT DELTA HAS ESCAPED!"**

Somewhere in the underground laboratory, something started after hearing a single scream that didn't come from the people it had just killed. It flicked its tentacles, a single pale red eye focusing as it moved towards its next target.

**"WARNING! PROJECT DELTA HAS ESCAPED!"**


	6. Pokémon Dark: Kamake Pt 1

"Dad?"

"It's okay, honey," the man said gently, rubbing his daughter's blue hair. "I'll be back soon. There's food in the fridge and money in the cabinet in case you run out. Daddy just has some business to take care of."

He turned and walked out the front door, closing it gently shut, locking it securely. Kamake stood there, hands gripping her skirt. She promised herself she would hold her tears in. She couldn't allow herself to cry. Yet, she could feel the tears rising regardless.

She sniffed, turning as she wiped her eyes and walked into the small kitchen. It was a mess, dishes sitting unwashed from the day before and strange tools and parts littering the counter. Kamake went to work, cleaning as best she could. She and her dad lived a poor life, her father only able to scrounge up the bare minimum from odd jobs. He always brought home worn tools and thrown out devices, trying to fix them and make them better.

Kamake's hand brushed against one of the devices. It was an old Generation 1 Pokedex, only used in Kanto. She flipped it open, the direction buttons loose and the screen flickering slightly. She knew she couldn't complain about her father as she liked to do the same, finding devices and making something out of them. She tucked the old pokedex into her pocket and finished cleaning the kitchen, it still smelled of mold and dust. There were was only one light, which barely helped. On her way out, she reached up and pulled on the chain, putting the light out.

She knew her dad had to leave. He had said he found a new job offer, one that could get them out of this horrible living conditions. But, she had heard him on the phone before and he had sounded scared. Really scared. She didn't know what was going on, but she didn't like it.

She went past the small, cluttered sitting area, trying not to trip on scattered papers. She went down the short hallway and pushed open the door to her bedroom, the hinges squeaking. She closed it and crossed over to her bed, sitting on it. She took out the pokedex and set it on her desk amongst her other salvaged devices.

She swung her legs back and forth, debating whether to try and sleep or tinker. Ending up on the latter, she pulled out her rickety chair and sat in it, once again wondering if today would be the day where it finally broke.

Only when the thin rays of light finally disappeared from beneath her blinds did she finally put down her screwdriver. She looked down at the gutted pokedex, trying to see if there was anything she missed through her drowsiness. She picked up the device she had just made, slightly worried about its clunkiness. But, as long as it worked it would be fine. Setting it down, she rose from the chair, cringing at the creaking sound it made. She pulled back her rough blanket and lay on the old stained cot, turning over, trying to get comfortable without a pillow. It took a long time, but eventually she was able to drift off to sleep.

When Kamake woke up, she sluggishly got out of bed, not bothering to fix her bedhead. She ate some stale cereal with water and grabbed the device from her desk. She grabbed her home key, fastening it to a cord around her neck. She went out the front door and locked it.

She and her dad lived north of the Kanto region in a small town at the base of a mountain and by a river. It was a poor town and hardly known by anyone except those who lived here. Even her own house was at the edge. She decided her best bet to find loose change would be on the riverbank and headed in that direction. She flipped a switch on her device and turned her makeshift scanner at the pebble and weed ridden ground. There were only the occasional patches of grass on the riverbank and not many Pokemon living here except for Magikarp.

The pebbles and gravel made crunching noises beneath her feet, the soft sound of the flowing river to her left. Her machine let out a low ping, so Kamake stopped. She swung it around carefully, the ping getting louder to the right and just up ahead. When it gave off the loudest one yet, she dropped to her knees, pushing aside the gravel and rocks with her bare hands. In just a minute, she found two pieces of loose change.

She heard crunching noises behind her and she stopped what she was doing, not saying a word.

"Would you look at this," a snooty voice said loudly. "The bottom feeder is scrounging up for money in the dirt? How pathetic."

A series of giggles followed, indicating the girl was not alone in ridiculing Kamake. She turned around to see Teresa and her friends. Beautiful, popular, and incredibly toxic. Kamake was constantly on the receiving end of their toxicity.

"Poor girl doesn't even have enough to afford a Pokemon," Teresa laughed, flinging back her amber hair. "I on the other hand, got mine last summer when I went on vacation to Johto."

Teresa, daughter of a wealthy business man who came to live in this forsaken town in hopes of making it better known. Good intentions, unlike his daughter. Speaking of, she opened her Luxury Ball, releasing her Flaaffy. She had been bragging all about her Pokemon since she got it last summer and always made a point to rub it in Kamake's face whenever they crossed paths.

"I'll..." Kamake started timidly, then sucked up what courage she had in her. "I'll just go."

She made to move around them, but one of Teresa's friends pushed her back, making her lose her footing and fall back on the gravel. Kamake's hands and rear hurt, but she didn't want them to see her cry.

"Ohoho," Teresa laughed. "You're trying to leave already? But we just got here. We should hang out a little more."

One of her friends pointed at the device Kamake had dropped a foot away from her. "Hey, what's that she got?"

Kamake tried to grab it, but Teresa was faster, snatching it as Kamake's fingers had just grasped it. "What is it?"

She began shaking it and pressing the buttons, the device suddenly giving off a loud ping, making Teresa screech in surprise and drop it. It landed on the gravel, cracking.

"Hmph," Teresa kicked it and Kamake tried to lunge for it, but it landed in the river, crackling, then fizzing out as it sunk. "Probably wasn't interesting anyway, since it was made by you."

She flipped her hair again and turned around. "I've grown bored of seeing your sorry face. C'mon girls. Let's leave the trash to scavenge for her next meal."

Their laughter faded away, but Kamake's tears had already started to fall.

...

Dad returned a week later smiling. "I've done it! No longer will we live poorly!"

Kamake's eyes were wide. "What kind of job did you get?"

He chuckled, smoothing down his slick brown hair. "A business man has taken a liking to my creations. I even showed him one of yours and he'll even offer you schooling and a part-time job."

"B-but," Kamake was surprised. "I'm still only 12-!"

He hugged her tightly. "And you are already an amazing person with brilliant talent," he pulled back, hands on her shoulders. "You take after me quite a bit. Except for the hair. That was from your mother."

He stood, straightening his new tie. "I already got some payment from him, so we can live a little easier for now. I just need to make a few more things and he'll get us a better place to live. We can finally get out of this town!"

Kamake screamed with joy, hugging her father, believing for the first time in her life that things could only get better.

...

A loud crash came from the sitting area, followed by frustrated screaming. Kamake pulled her blanket up tighter, trying to ignore her father. When he focused on his work, whenever he messed up, he would rage. This seemed to be a common occurrence lately, ever since he had found that new job. Not only had they not been able to move out of this small house, but the work her dad was given seemed to get harder and more complicated.

Only after a half hour after the last rage does she ever get out of bed. She walks over to her father who lies asleep with his head on his working desk, brown hair a mess and unwashed. She drapes his coat over him and looks at the pieces of metal, glass, and wires on the table. She picks up whatever was on the desk and returns to her room, clearing her own desk before setting down the ones she had taken. She pulls open a half broken drawer and gets her tools.

The whole night she worked. She had seen the paper that was given to her dad, what he was supposed to make. Her father always had a direct approach to making stuff, but she had always looked at things differently. Usually a quiet and timid girl, she would analyze the things in life around her, working everything out in a logical manner in accordance to the world around her. For example, Teresa had everything she could want because of her doting rich daddy, yet she was still unsatisfied, angry at the fact she still had to live here. So she chose the most worthless person in this town who wouldn't even dream of fighting back and picked on her to make herself feel better.

Kamake held the piece of metal she had just created with steady hands, inserting the thin glass into the crevice. After waiting for a minute, she released her fingers, the glass staying where it was inserted. Next, she screwed the end piece of the metal into the headpiece and set it over her head. She pressed a button, but nothing happened. She took it off, examining her work. She deconstructed some of it, looking into the main power box. It was clunky, but that probably wasn't what the person whoever told her dad to make this wanted. She decided to try and fix the problem while also going for a simpler design.

Hours later, she had completed it. Sighing in relief, all she had to do was test it. Setting it over her head once more, she powered it on, and this time, thankfully, it worked. A screen displayed on the glass over her eye, showing a small amount of simple words and numbers. They seemed to be indicating the structural integrity of her desk.

Kamake chuckled. She was going to need to find a new desk sometime in the future. She looked at her chair, feeling a slight uneasiness about the 3% showing up. She stood, looking at her bed frame. 38%. Her door. 21%. Her left wall. 57%.

Taking off the device, she wondered what it could be used for. Construction seemed like a good option, which seemed to make sense. She returned to her father, placing the device carefully in front of him, but just out of reach so he wouldn't knock it over when he awoke. She then found the closest beer can and placed it next to his hand on its side. She returned to her room, ready to close her eyes and rid herself of her drowsiness.

...

A month later, things only got worse. Surprised to find the completed device in front of him, but not questioning that he wasn't the one who made it, immediately sent it to whoever was his boss. He found more success after that, but not enough to surpass the amount of failures that Kamake would have to fix herself. Then, one night, she received another hint that things weren't right with her father.

"Please," she heard him speaking into a phone quietly, probably not trying to wake her up, not knowing she already was wide awake. "I can deliver. I prom... What?" his voice sounded hoarse, fear evident in his tone. "I-I didn't mean to, I promise. Look, the next thing you wanted? I can get it done in half the time. Yes? Yes. Okay. Got it."

She quickly hurried into her bed without a sound, pretending she was asleep before her dad cracked open the door a little. Happy with what he saw, he left, Kamake opening her eyes only when she heard the door creak close.

She slowly got out of bed, pressing her ear to the wall next to the sitting area, listening to her dad.

"I can't get out of this," he whispered frantically, sounding desperate. "What he wants... It's horrible, despicable."

Kamake's eyes widened, wondering what exactly her father had gotten them into.

...

After a couple days, her dad opened her door loudly. "Kamake? Wake up."

"What is it?" she asked, already having been awake, sitting up.

"We have to leave," he said, tossing a backpack on the ground. "Don't take anything except the bare essentials. We have to move fast."

Kamake wanted to question him, but the look in his eyes argued against it. She got out of bed, already in her day clothes, despite it being in the middle of the night. She grabbed a few tools and spare clothes, stuffing them in the bag, all the while her father watched. She stood once she was done, her father taking her by the hand and leading her out the house.

"We'll have to go through the mountains," he muttered as he lead her through the night towards the mountains. "Won't get us in there. We can escape to the region beyond that. We'll be safe there."

Kamake stumbled, her father catching her. "C'mon! Don't slow down now! We have no time!"

Kamake nodded, fear rising within her. She hurried after her father, their path lit only by the moon. Neither brought a flashlight. They began heading up the rocky mountain path, Kamake trying to stay as close to the side of the mountain as possible and away from the edge on the side.

"Ah," Dad sighed in relief, grabbing his daughter's hand and pulling her into the entrance of a cave. "Made it. From here we should be safe."

He pulled out a flashlight and flicked the switch. The cave lead into a tunnel leading far into darkness, the sound of fluttering wings likely coming from Zubats. But, there in the middle of the room, seemingly waiting for them, was a young teen. He sat cross legged on the stone ground, a black wing eyepatch covering his left eye. He had black, spiky and messy hair, his clothes resembling that of a red and black butler suit. His emerald right eye cracked open as a cocky grin spread across his face as he grasped the handle of the white double-bladed axe laying in his lap as he stood on immaculate shiny black shoes.

"Well hello there," he said, slamming his axe on the ground, holding it steady on the tip of the handle with one hand. "I just knew you would head this way."

"No-no way," Kamake's father's face was stricken with panic. "Not possible!? How'd he know."

The teen shrugged, swinging the handle back and forth gently. "Dunno really. Giovanni sure doesn't like loose ends though," his right eye narrowed as his grin widened. "Sorry Mr. Kobayashi, but you've been scheduled for an execution tonight. You don't wanna miss this appointment!" He took up his axe with both hands and swung.

Kamake's father backed up fast and pulled Kamake along, only to stop. There in the cave entrance, blocking their only hope of escape was what looked like a young girl in a white and black maid suit with her white hair tied into twin braids hanging down from twin buns on the sides of her head. Dark cerulean eyes stared gently at Kamake, her mouth covered by a face mask. She took a step forwards in her black maid high heeled shoes, long white and gray striped socks going past her knees. Hanging from her right hand were red nunchuks, a Pokemon by her side, icy breath coming from its mouth.

"Stay back!" Dad shouted, revealing a pokeball Kamake never knew he had. He threw out an Electabuzz. "Thunder Shock!"

Something swooped down from the ceiling, absorbing the electricity without taking damage. Its yellow slitted eyes focused on the Electric type and grasped his claws on him, carrying him away into the darkness.

"Now now," the teen behind them said, hefting the axe onto his shoulder. "Don't go runnin' on us now alright. You won't be getting anywhere anytime soon. Running is just futile, ain't that right sis'?"

The girl nodded, not bothering to raise her weapon.

"NOW DIE!" the teen grinned, swinging his axe with both hands as he stepped in closer.

In just a split-second decision, Kamake's father pushed Kamake towards the other girl, jumping ahead of his daughter in the process. A slicing sound filled the air, splatters of blood hitting Kamake's cheek. Her father's headless body fell towards the maid, who sidestepped to avoid him. Kamake stumbled past her, tripping and tumbling down the path a little. She scrambled to her feet, running and not looking back, already having processed that her father was dead.

...

"Should we give chase, Sage?" the butler-looking teen asked, grinning sadistically as they watched the blue haired girl run down the mountain path. "Oh, hey there Fang," he turned to see his Gliscor carrying the Electabuzz's corpse. "Good job killin' it."

"Um, no," Sage gently lowered the mask with one petite finger, speaking gently. "Giovanni said he had others who would take care of her. Um, Spicy?"

"Yeah?" he asked, disappointed that someone else would get the final kill, then tried to back away from his twin, but since he was holding onto his axe that was planted on the ground, he couldn't move far. "Hey!"

"Um, sorry," she had licked her finger and wiped it across his cheek. "You had a drop of blood on you. It's gone now."

"Yeah, alright," he rubbed his cheek with his left hand. "Thanks."

"C'mon, Claws," Sage pulled her mask back up, walking away into the cave, her Weavile following her.

"At least we'll get our payment," Spicy grinned, then frowned as he looked in the corner of the cave. "Hey, c'mon, we're leaving. That was lesson one and the only lesson. Here on out, you help out. Drag behind and I'll cut you loose myself."

The child in the corner nodded and followed the two Executioners further into the dark cave, sticking close to Sage.

...

Kamake, out of breath and fueled with adrenaline, slammed the door to her home shut, threw off her backpack, and hurried into her room, only to find someone else in there. He was a tall man with thin black hair, wearing a black trench coat. He was inspecting the various pieces of metal and wires on her desk, picking up a half-finished device.

"I assume you've been the one sending me what I asked for," his tone was one of business, his back to her still.

Kamake couldn't move. The man before her was someone she couldn't run away from, no matter how much she wanted to. Finally, he turned. His dark eyes seemed black in the dim lighting, his face serious.

Kamake shivered as she felt something slink around her middle. She looked down slightly to see a Persian staring up at her, the jewel on its head shining.

"Kamake Kobayashi," the man spoke and instantly her eyes darted up to meet his. "Your old man was of little use to me. You, on the other hand, will prove to be a very great asset. I expect great things from you."

He moved past her and out the door, the Persian making Kamake follow him. As he fitted a black trilby hat on his head, he said the one sentence that resigned Kamake to her fate, "Let's hope you don't break easily, Ms. Kobayashi."

**OCs Spicy and Sage created by JustBluePanda on Wattpad for my use in my stories. This is their debut and definitely won't be the last you see of the Twin Executioners and the mysterious child (who is my own OC) tagging along with them. Toodles**


	7. Pokémon Dark: Nanu Pt 2

Nanu stared at the pack of cigarettes in his hand, a bad taste in his mouth. He cast them aside, promising himself that he would only light one up when he found out who murdered his Deputy, leaving his body in such a state.

Taking a deep sigh, he rubbed his eyes, the light from the screen glaring. He had paid a visit to the Malie City Morgue a day earlier and told them to hold off contacting Hendrickson's immediate family. He didn't want to tell them of the Deputy's death until he found the person, or persons, responsible.

"Meow," a Meowth started purring, rubbing along Nanu's sleeve. The Dark types had returned when they realized Nanu was back, but not all of them. This led Nanu to be suspicious of a certain group of people, but he couldn't jump to conclusions.

Nanu groaned, realizing he had little choice at this point. No one else but him and Hendrickson cared enough to be up here this close to Po Town. So naturally that meant there would be no witnesses to a murder in a secluded Police Station. That is, no one but Team Skull.

"Witnesses," Nanu grunted, standing as he grabbed a dark poncho. "That's all they'd better be, or there'll be hell waiting for them."

He held up his Dusk Ball, and without needing any commands, Persian rose from her comfortable bed and nudged the device. Once sucked inside, Nanu headed out onto Route 17, the weather dark and cloudy, rain coming down, picking up in intensity. From what he saw on the news earlier, there was supposed to be a hurricane incoming. It shouldn't pass close to the mainland, but the forecasts had a habit of being wrong.

Nanu didn't care in the slightest about a tropical hurricane as he pulled his poncho tighter, his destination lying behind the tall metal walls of Po Town. Approaching the gate, he noticed the lack of grunts standing on watch. Either Plumeria felt lenient today or the grunts were skipping watch duty without her permission and were hiding from the rain indoors. Knowing Plumeria, Nanu personally felt it was the latter.

His feet crushed the wet, dead grass that grew in clumps around the gate and he considered knocking. Instead he produced a key from his pockets and unlocked it himself. Pushing the gate open, he was treated to the devastated sight of what once used to be a beautiful town for the rich until Guzma and his goons moved in. On one hand, Nanu knew they should be kicked out, but of course with a group this large, Ula'ula Island authorities opted to let them stay. On the other hand, Nanu kinda liked it this way. He never cared much for the rich and their problems.

The grass on either side of the road was overgrown and full of weeds, the Pokemon Center rundown and only used for storage. Graffiti lined the cobblestone road and sides of buildings, old trial site gates blocking access to the Shady House at multiple points.

Nanu narrowed his eyes. Those wooden gates usually never went up unless they were expecting people. There were no grunts around either to man them, and since the rain's been pouring for a while now, they must've been put up some time ago.

_"For me?"_ Nanu thought. _"Or someone else?"_

Ignoring it, the aging officer headed to the Pokemon Center, the sliding doors getting stuck halfway with barely enough room for Nanu to walk through. The lights were of course off inside as all remaining power was sent to the quick healing machine. Not many places had those, but since this used to be a town for rich folk, one was placed here. From the looks of it, it took all the grunts had to keep it working while shutting almost everything else off.

As he walked over to where he could make out a lamp on the counter, his foot hit a glass bottle and sent it rolling away. Looking down he saw a hand. Nanu sighed, stepping over the arm and turning on the lamp.

"Hey," Nanu squatted next to the sleeping drunk, probably having drank till he passed out. "Get up you worthless sack of bones." He kicked him for good measure, rousing the Skull grunt.

"Eh, whachit?," A groaned, his face mask having slipped a little. "Yo dawg, what time of night is it?"

Nanu regarded him, then turned away, heading towards the healing machine. "Where's B?"

"B?" A still seemed slightly out of it, probably suffering from a hangover.

"Your brother," Nanu replied, setting Persian's Dusk Ball on the device, pressing a button. Nothing. He looked back at A. "What happened to the machine?"

"Bro B been fixin' it," A shook his head, getting sluggishly to his feet. "Yo, you gotta li-!" his eyes widened when they finally focused. "NANU!?" he stumbled backwards, tripping on the thin sheets he had covered himself with.

Nanu resisted a chuckle. "Yeah yeah, it's me."

"What are-!" he coughed, straightening his face mask. "Yo copper, what're you doin' here?"

"Official business," Nanu said, staring him down. "I need to know if you happened to see anything this last week. Anything suspicious."

"Fairly daily yo," A snapped both fingers.

"Let me rephrase," Nanu pinched the bridge of his nose. "Anything unusually suspicious, probably having nothing to do with Team Skull."

"Hmm," A shook his head. "Nothin' homie. Big Boss Guzma may know. Or Big Sis."

"Figured as much," Nanu shook his head, already heading towards the door, taking the lantern with him. "Stay out of trouble will you."

"Ya worry too much bro," A saluted him. "Me and my homie, B, will be off to Melemele soon for the Big Boss. We'll be good bottom feeders, ya hear?"

Nanu left, waving goodbye. The rain was still coming down hard, so he flipped his hood back on. He noticed the gates were still up and looked back inside the Pokemon Center. "A!"

The grunt appeared in the doorway. "Yo?"

"Why are the gates up today?"

A furrowed his eyebrows. "Oh yeah! New group in Alola recently, Team Radiance. They ain't homies and we're ordered to bring the pain if them nobodies try and hit us."

Nanu nodded. He's heard rumors of a new group in Alola. They hadn't done anything open, so Nanu was inclined to ignore them. But if Guzma was being cautious of them, then he should be too.

Nanu sighed. "Mind helping me move them?"

"No dawg," A shook his head, then pointed to the large hedges on the side of the Pokemon Center. "Got ourselves a secret entrance."

Nanu raised an eyebrow, then shrugged. "Why not?"

Nanu followed the hedges to the back of the Pokemon Center, then turned a corner. Sure enough, there was a hole, but he would have to crouch to get through. Nanu tried to pretend he didn't hear the popping noises in his back as he lowered himself, then stood up again on the other side. He was in the backyard of what was once a beautiful house. Now the grass was overgrown with dead patches and graffiti marked the back of the house.

Nanu walked around the side and onto the street again. There were still two more gates set up down the street and he didn't want to keep finding secret paths. Grabbing one of his Dusk Balls, he let out Krookodile, the big Pokemon staring up at the rain.

"Hey, eyes on the job," Nanu snapped his fingers. "I need you to push aside the gate for me."

The Ground/Dark type nodded and began pushing the gate aside. Nanu walked on through and had Krookodile do the next gate as well. No need to push them back in position if they were going back out the same way.

Once Krookodile was returned, Nanu took a look at the run-down mansion before him. Held together by sticks, glue, and prayers, this was Guzma's castle. Standing on the porch, he decided it would be best to knock. If he wanted to get anything from Guzma, best to be as polite as possible. Nanu glanced back at the misplaced gates and hoped Guzma wouldn't look out the window and see that.

The right door creaked open and revealed Plumeria in the doorway.

"Haven't seen you in a while," Plumeria commented, letting the officer inside. "Where've you been?"

"Had some business in Kanto," Nanu responded. "Did you stop by the station?"

She nodded, closing the door, the sound of pouring rain becoming a distant thrum in the background. "Your deputy was kind enough to offer me coffee. Couldn't stay long unfortunately as I had a job down in Malie."

Nanu nodded, hanging his poncho on a broken rack by the door. "Deputy Hendrickson is dead."

Plumeria had been on her way towards the stairs, probably already having assumed he wanted to talk with the man of the house, but then stopped at the foot of the stairs. She looked back at Nanu. "What?"

"Don't worry," Nanu said, passing her and heading up the stairs. "I don't think Team Skull did it, not your style. I just want information if you all have any. But," Nanu glanced back down at her. "I will not rule anyone out. If it turns out Team Skull was behind his murder, there will be hell to pay."

Plumeria followed him up the stairs. "I will vouch for all of Team Skull. I'll also help in any way I can."

"Good," Nanu nodded. "When did you meet with Hendrickson?"

"A day after you left," she replied. "That's he told me at least." She was silent for a moment, then, "Looks like I won't be able to promise to stay for coffee like I told him."

"Will I have to wait in the room again?" Nanu asked, pointing at a door to the left once they reached the top of the stairs.

The Big Sis of Team Skull nodded, heading past the said door and towards Guzma's room. "Depending on what he's doing, it might be a bit."

The officer nodded and headed into what was probably once a bedroom, but now was pretty much bare except for a ripped couch, an equally battered footrest, scattered items, and a slightly cracked TV. Sitting, Nanu chose not to use the footrest, instead opting to lean forwards, hands clasped together. He had a sinking feeling this was a waste of time coming here, but this was the only choice he had to find any clues on who murdered his deputy. And if anyone knew the going-on on this part of Ula'ula Island, it was Guzma.

Nanu glanced at the window to his left. Darkness lay outside, rain continuing to pour. The wind seemed to be faster now, more powerful. Nanu wouldn't be surprised if the hurricane hit the island. Getting up, he placed his hand on the glass, staring out into darkness. Maybe it was because he was getting older and perhaps going senile, but lately he's been feeling like something wasn't right in Alola. He's been hearing less from Tapu Bulu and has been on edge more lately.

"Maybe it is just because I'm getting older," he murmured, but he couldn't shake the feeling something was going to happen soon. Something-

A knock on the door and Nanu turned his head to see Plumeria there. She nodded and Nanu parted his hand from the window. He headed out of the room and towards Guzma's. Knocking once, he waited until he heard a, "Come in." then he opened the door and walked in.

Plumeria closed the door, leaving Nanu alone facing the leader of Team Skull, Guzma. The white-haired man lounged on his purple armchair throne, a bottle in one hand and a Buginium Z in the other. The room was as it always was, the king size bed pushed haphazardly to the left side of the room, a shelf holding a couple vases and more than a couple different colored bottles, and a chest overflowing with Buginium Z's to the right. The throne itself was placed atop a cabinet so Guzma could better look down on his grunts with a fine blue carpet rolling down to the floor and a large painting behind it having been vandalized with a magenta S symbol, Team Skull's trademark.

"Well well," Guzma leaned forwards, placing both hands on his knees after he placed down the items in his hands on the table next to him as he looked down on the emotionless Nanu. "What do we have here?"

Nanu waited and Guzma lifted his hands. "Alright, alright. Business it is," he propped his head up with his hand, elbow placed on the arm of the chair. "Plumeria gave me the rundown about your Deputy. You here to blame me for his death?"

"Murder," Nanu corrected, already having taught himself over years of work experience on how to keep his cool. "And as I'm sure Plumeria mentioned, I don't believe you nor Team Skull did it. I just want to know if you know anything."

"And why would I know anything?" Guzma raised an eyebrow, taking a swig from his bottle before placing it down again on the table next to him.

"You control this part of Ula'ula," Nanu knew he didn't need to explain this, but Guzma liked to drag things on. "I find it hard to believe you don't know about everything that occurs here. If all you have is something you're slightly suspicious of, I'll take it."

"Hmm," Guzma rubbed his chin, taking a good look at Nanu. "You're sounding pretty desperate today," Guzma grinned widely. "Now that's a treat to see. Man, you've gotten old!" He laughed for ten seconds, then calmed down. "Alright, fine. I'll tell you what I know."

The gang leader stood and stretched, before pulling the second table, the one to his right, and opening the silver laptop. Nanu didn't ask where he acquired it. It was generally better not to ask.

"What day did this occur on?" Guzma asked, glancing up.

"Just three days ago," Nanu answered. "Likely after Plumeria left the station."

Guzma cracked his neck, typing, then began scrolling. "I usually have a couple grunts on the hills over there, generally to watch you."

Nanu rolled his eyes. What a surprise.

"I never really read through the reports unless the grunts come tell me themselves," Guzma went on. "Seems here one saw someone enter the station maybe an hour after Plumeria left. Noted that a lot of Meowths ran from the building and minutes later the person leaves."

"Any description?" Nanu asked, hoping for a solid lead.

Guzma's eyebrows shot up as he looked at his screen. "Would you look at that? Weird person."

"Tell me," Nanu said impatiently.

"Alright, hold your Mudsdales," Guzma grinned, shaking his head, then turned his laptop around. "Reading aloud is too bothersome. Read it yourself."

Nanu didn't waste time trying to act annoyed now, bending to read the words on the screen. Whoever typed it up thankfully did so in proper speech, not the gang slang the Skull grunts used like it was supposed to be in fashion.

_The said person was wearing what appeared to be a suit of some kind. Maybe some kind of lawyer? He might've been carrying a briefcase in one hand, but with all the rain and it being nearly night, it's hard to tell what it exactly was. But when they came back out, they had the thing over their shoulder and they jaunted away into the night._

With the writing came a somewhat blurry picture of someone nearing the station. The "suit" they wore seemed odd and not much like a suit. And what they were holding looked a bit too long to be a suitcase.

Nanu stepped back, straightening his already aching back. He had to hope this was enough. It was the only lead he had so far.

"Thank you, Guzma," Nanu turned to leave, then stopped. "This isn't like you to help when I come to ask for it. Why be so cooperative now?"

Guzma shut his laptop and leaned back on his throne. "Let's just say I'm in a good mood today and leave it at that." He waved his hand. "See ya."

"Send me that picture at least," Nanu said. "I'm sure you have the station's address."

"Yeah yeah," Guzma waved his hand. "Sure. Now go."

Nanu sighed. He never understood the younger generation. Closing the door behind him, he was met with Plumeria leaning against the wall.

"You get what you needed?" she asked, cocking her head.

"Hopefully," Nanu said heading towards the stairs, Plumeria following him. She accompanied him through the heavy rain and wind to the gates of Po Town, Nanu unlocking the gates himself.

"Hey," Plumeria started to say, but Nanu interrupted her, turning to look at her.

"Don't you dare suggest I retire," he said, though he was smiling for once. However, sadness lay behind it. "I can't, not yet. Not while there's a murderer out there."

Plumeria nodded. "Then good luck. Safe trip. The storm's getting worse."

Nanu nodded, but before he the doors closed, he said one last thing. "Keep Skull in line Plumeria. I can't stop what you guys do, I just ask for restraint."

Plumeria, with both hands on the doors, said, "No promises."

The doors closed, the sound of them doing so muffled by thunder. Nanu trudged through the mud back to the station, leaving his boots on the inside mat, flicking on the lights. The Meowths awoke upon his arrival, immediately beginning to meow. Letting out Persian, he filled all the bowls with food, then sat at his desk. Rubbing his eyes, he decided to take the quickest action to finding out who this mystery killer was.

On the third ring, Looker picked up. "Nanu?"

"Yeah," Nanu leaned back in his chair. "I need to use your database to find a killer."

"Hrm," Looker went. "Give me a sec."

Nanu heard him moving, then, "Okay, got a description?"

He relayed the information and Looker began typing. "This isn't going to get me much."

Suddenly Nanu remembered the picture he'd asked Guzma to send. Checking his email, he found it. Forwarding it to Looker, he asked, "That help."

Looker took a second, then answered, "How was the person killed?"

Nanu felt something creep down his spine, not wanting to remember, but said it anyway. "Beheading."

Looker sucked in a breath. "Nanu, I recommend dropping this case."

"Looker," Nanu's voice became stern. "Tell me now."

"Na-"

"No!" Nanu interrupted, slamming a fist down on his desk, startling the Dark types around him. "I need to know who murdered my Deputy!"

Looker was silent for a moment. Finally, "Look. We don't actually have physical evidence of their existence, only what we believe to be their MO. This person is someone we believe to be an assassin, highly skilled and has evaded detection. In fact, this picture may be the best thing we have right now of who this person is."

"I'm just asking you to reconsider," Looker said. "I don't wa-"

The line went dead and the station went dark. Nanu stood up in a flash, his Pokemon facing the station doors, backs arched. A flash of lightning lit up the window, highlighting someone in a white kimono for just a brief second. Nanu steeled his nerves, grabbed his gun from his holster, and ran to the door, kicking it open. The sound of rain and thunder filled his ears as he waved his gun around, but the person had vanished.

After standing in on the porch for several long minutes, Nanu finally turned to go back inside. He stopped, looking at the door. A long scratch had appeared on the door, smooth and curved.

...

Weeks later, Nanu returned from Konikoni city after Skull and Radiance had clashed there, nearly destroying the entire city. Words would be had with Plumeria.

After telling Looker of what happened that night when the line went dead, Looker told him to drop the investigation and left it there, refusing to talk about it any further. Nanu wasn't satisfied and he figured he likely never would be. But at the moment he had other concerns. Holding up a picture he had printed from the Police Station sent to him by Looker, he glared at the trench coat wearing boy.

"Zeno," he said, setting the picture leaning against his computer screen. "Don't think you can hide away here on Alola. I will be coming for you."


	8. Pokémon Dark: Cheryl Pt 2

_"Oh, my dear."_

_Her head whipped upwards, her hair flowing in all directions, face splitting open to reveal a glowing purple face with huge red menacing eyes, sharp pointed teeth lining her mouth as her huge tongue hung out. She let out a horrifying scream, drowning out Cheryl as she screamed in pain and terror._

...

Cheryl awoke screaming. Screaming and screaming and screaming. Chansey cried out, trying to calm the green haired woman, but Cheryl fought the calming sensation of Chansey's healing abilities. Only when the nurses rushed in and held her down long enough for a needle to get inserted into her neck did she finally stop. She lay limp, eye's distant as she fell back into darkness.

...

_She was standing before a forest. Cheryl glanced around, the breeze gentle as it moved the grass. It has been a while since she was here. She took a step forwards, reaching out her hand towards the dark and foreboding Eterna Forest._

_Suddenly, she stopped. A peculiar sensation crept up her legs and she found they were now rooted to the dirt. She went to bend, only to realize she couldn't do that either. All she could do was stare at her darkening outstretched fingers as they began to harden. Her mouth opened in a silent scream and then she couldn't do anything at all. Nothing but stare endlessly, left with her own thoughts for all eternity._

...

Cheryl awoke again, this time in a cold sweat. She blinked at the light shining above her, watching it move almost hypnotically.

"Chansey!" the musical voice made her turn her head on the rough pillow, staring at the pink Pokemon standing there. Chansey seemed to be happy Cheryl was awake now, a pink glow spreading from the Pokemon and over her. Cheryl sighed softly, feeling calm. Sitting up, she smiled at the Pokemon. "Thank you, Chansey."

"Chansey!" The Pokemon cried, pleased with herself.

Cheryl got to her feet, only to find herself off balance. She reached out her left hand to steady herself on the small table by her bedside when something caught her eye. She stared at her fingers, seeing the hard brown substance from her dream coating them. She held them up to her face, turning her hand slowly to examine it.

"Oh, dear," a brown haired nurse who appeared to be in her ageing years rushed over from the open doorway. She grasped Cheryl's hands, looking into the green haired woman's eyes. "Feeling all better now? Here, you should take your pills."

She set down a glass of water and two white pills and one orange one. She hurriedly left and when Cheryl glanced back at her fingers, she found them to be clean. Shaking her head softly, she swallowed the pills and headed out of her room, Chansey by her side at all times. She wandered without direction, once smelling something sweet and poked her head into a small kitchen where food was being prepped.

A tap on her shoulder made her whirl around. Standing just a foot shorter than her was an older man wearing a lab coat. He adjusted his red tinted glasses resting on the crook of his nose, smiling at her.

"Well now, up and about I see," he said, taking her hand. "Come with me, Cheryl dear. You have visitors."

"Oh?" Cheryl perked up. She had seen many others here get visitors, but she couldn't remember ever getting any herself. "Visitors?" She was being lead by the hand down a hall and she knelt slightly to get closer to the man's ear. "For me? Are you sure?"

"Quite," the man nodded, smiling broadly. "I hear they're your oldest friends."

"Friends?" Cheryl was surprised. "I have friends? Oh, lucky me!" She felt happy, giddy even. She had friends. Who would've thought?

The man brought her to a white room with comfortable looking chairs and a couch. She seated herself in the middle of the white couch, relishing in the rare comfort. She straightened her hospital gown, slightly irked that it had wrinkles in some places. It had to be perfect for her friends.

She glanced up at the man, who was leaving the room. "Um, do I look nice?"

He glanced back and nodded, a warm smile adorning his features. "You look lovely dear. You don't need to worry."

"Oh," Cheryl relaxed, satisfied. "Good. Good."

She sat there as he left and closed the door. She absentmindedly stroked her long braided green hair, something she found calmed her nerves. She wondered what her friends would be like and she had enough time to entertain one of her fantasies before she heard the door creak open. Hurriedly, she straightened and stopped stroking her hair, resting her hands in her lap.

She saw the old man hold open the door, letting two people enter. Cheryl didn't recognize either of them and she tilted her head as she studied them. One of them was a woman, maybe her age, wearing brown shorts and a green shawl with orange hair. The other was a guy, wearing pants with a black vest over a white t-shirt. He wore a red hat and red scarf around his neck. Both of their eyes lit up upon seeing Cheryl.

"Oh, Cheryl!" The woman cried out, rushing over to wrap the green-haired girl in a hug. Cheryl smiled awkwardly as she tentatively hugged her back. The guy reached out with one hand towards Cheryl, then hesitated. Cheryl tilted her head slightly, wondering why he looked so... sad. Instead, he turned to old man.

"How has she been?" He asked and Cheryl wondered that if he was her friend, why didn't he want to hug her as well.

"Oh, she's had her good days and bad days," the old man nodded with a glance at her. "But then, so do we all." He chuckled at that and the guy's face muscles seemed to clench.

"Is she getting better?" He asked more sternly.

"Um," Cheryl spoke up as the woman stepped back. "I know we're friends, I was told that, but I don't know your names? Could I please know them?"

The woman sucked in a sharp breath, eyes widening. "Lucas," she whispered, voice shaking.

The guy, Lucas, began to look enraged. He turned on the old man and gripped the front of his shirt. "Tell me why she's like that! She's worse than the last time we came by!"

Cheryl tried to gather her memories. He just said they've been there to see her before, but she couldn't... Maybe... She could see them, slightly younger, but the memory was hazy and she started getting a headache when she thought about it too hard. She came back to reality as the door slammed open and two of the staff yanked Lucas away from the old man.

Lucas struggled against them, the girl crying out, "Lucas! Stop!"

He ceased, but he still glared. "This isn't over!" He said through gritted teeth at the old man before he yanked himself free of the staff. He cast one more sad look Cheryl's way before leaving the room. The woman looked confused, but she hugged Cheryl one last time before following Lucas.

"I thought we would be able to talk more," Cheryl said, disappointed.

"Don't worry about it my dear," the Old Man helped her stand back up. "They're just upset, that's all. Don't you worry about it."

She nodded, letting his words wash over her. She was led back to her room where she laid back down on her bed. Despite being awake for only a couple hours, she found herself exhausted. Her eyelids drooped and finally she couldn't keep herself awake any longer, slipping away into darkness.

...

"Make sure she's tied down firmly before you give the injection."

Cheryl's vision was hazy as she blinked sleepily. She could hear voices, but they sounded as if they were muted somehow.

"Hold out her arm for me... that's right."

Her body felt numb. Then a searing pain erupted in her right arm, making her jerk. She opened her mouth wide and for a couple moments didn't even realize she was screaming.

"Arceus! I said make sure she was tied down!"

Cheryl's body bucked before she was forced to lie still. The pain was spreading throughout her body and she felt as if she was crusting over.

"Geez, remind me again why I work with you people."

She felt as if the pain stretched on for an eternity before finally she felt her body relaxing as she began to drift away. The last thing she saw before she was overcome by darkness once more was a flash of white light. "That's a good picture. Charon will want to add this to the scrapbook." There was a chorus of laughter before all was silent.

...

Cheryl sat straight up in bed, blinking in confusion. She held her head, a sharp pain stabbing into her. She scrunched her face up as she felt the last remnants of the nightmare fade away.

_"Chhhhheryllllll."_

She froze.

_"Chhhhheryllllll."_

She turned towards her barred window, feeling as if something was calling to her. She crept out of bed and peered out into the darkness, seeing the dark treetops of Eterna Forest far in the distance.

_"Chhhhheryllllll."_

Her eyes darted around, trying to find something, anything! She hauled up her desk, the items falling off and scattering along the floor. She hefted it and threw it at the window. It shattered outwards and Cheryl knew the staff would be here any second. She broke the glass shards that remained and pulled herself through the square opening, still managing to slice herself on her arm and leg. She tumbled onto the broken glass laying in the grass and stumbled to her feet.

She ran, stumbling every so often, the pain pushed to the back of her mind. It was calling her. The forest was calling for her. Something shot ahead of her, stopping in front of the tall metal gate. Cheryl's eyes widened as she recognized the Toxicroak.

"AUGH!" She cried out, coming to a stop as she fell to her knees, her mind exploding with pain. Images flashed through her head. Walking into a the Psychiatric Hospital for the first time and meeting him and Toxicroak. Then waking up to see nurses dragging you out of bed. Running, running, but that Pokemon kept catching her. Pain, so much pain. That dark room. So much pain.

A voice tutted as the grass swished around their feet as they passed by. Cheryl lifted her head in agony, somehow managing to twist her face into rage as she glared at Charon and his Toxicroak standing side-by-side.

"You-!" She gasped, trying to fight the pain threatening to overwhelm her. Somewhere in the back of her mind she could still feel the pull of the forest. She tried standing, but her knees buckled beneath her and she fell to the ground.

Charon nudged her face with his shoe. "Now, that isn't a pretty look on your face. It seems like you're escape attempt has once again failed."

"The forest," she gasped, this time reaching out with her hand in its direction. She wanted him, someone, anyone, to understand the pounding in her skull. "I must-!" A swift kick to the head made her roll over to the side, smearing her cheek with dirt.

Another sigh from Charon as darkness threatened to close in on Cheryl, who still struggled to crawl towards the forest. He knelt beside her and she barely spared him a glance, her eyes wild with desperation. He frowned. "It seems the side effects are more... powerful than we had originally thought." He grabbed her arm and injected something into her. She didn't care. She just needed to get to Eterna Forest. "I'm sure we can remedy that."

As Cheryl was losing her consciousness, her fingers curled around the chain linked fence. Then darkness swept over her like a wave.

...

Cheryl blinked awake. She sat up in bed, hand instinctively running through her hair. It felt... soft and maybe even slightly damp. She smiled to herself. "Perhaps I took a shower before bed and was too tired to forget."

"Chansey!" the Pink Pokémon trilled. She wobbled over to her bedside and set down a couple pills for Cheryl to take. Two were white, one orange, and another purple.

The green-haired woman smiled. "Thank you, Chansey." She took the pills and small glass of water on her desk and swallowed. She set the glass back down on the wood and marveled at how smooth it was. "I bet this is new! I must thank... thank..." she struggled to remember who she should thank. "Thank..."

"Chansey!" the Pokemon cried and Cheryl started at the sound of her door opening.

"Ah, awake now I see," an old man with grayish pink hair and red-tinted glasses settled on the crook of his nose entered. "How are you feeling this fine morning, Cheryl?"

"Much better," she said brightly, though she hadn't the faintest idea of why she might be feeling better from. "Are you the one who gave me this new desk?"

"Oh, yes," he nodded. "I decided the old one had far too many cracks. This one you'll find to be much more smooth." His eyes seemed to wander to the wall and Cheryl followed them, looking at the smooth stone.

"Now," his voice made her turn back to him. "I must take my leave. Enjoy yourself today, my dear." He left and Cheryl stared back at her wall, tilting her head. A vague memory put a window where she was staring, but the image was quickly whisked away.

"I hope I change rooms again soon," she murmured. "I think I quite liked having a room with a window."

She stood up and started to make her way to her door, only to feel something digging into the back of her leg. She lifted her dress and saw a piece of bark sticking to her skin. She ran her fingers down the rough object before trying to pull it away. She gasped in pain and saw a drop of blood pool around one edge, a line of blood sliding down her skin.

...

Cheryl limped slightly as she walked towards the counter with a tray in hand. Food was deposited onto it from a Mr. Mime and only seemed to glare as Cheryl thanked him. She sat down at a table, feeling nostalgic as she did so.

"Looking bright as usual." A raven haired teen, years younger looking compared to Cheryl, sat hunched as she swirled her spoon in the orange-brown slop. Her long hair was messy and unwashed, her gray uniform just like Cheryl's, albeit more rugged.

"Hi," Cheryl said brightly. "And you are?"

The girl groaned, rolling her eyes as she let her spoon drop with a clatter, not bothered by the bit of slop that hit her front. "That time again, is it? Fine fine, my name's Princess."

"Princess?" Cheryl giggled. "That's so cute."

Princess' gaze looked murderous for a moment, but dropped back to her tray. "You_ always_ say that." Her eyes flicked back up. "I saw you limping. What happened?"

"Oh, nothing," Cheryl picked at her food, still smiling. "Just a cut."

Princess frowned, but didn't argue. Instead, she lifted a spoonful of slop, made a face, then swallowed. Every time Cheryl tried to start the conversation again, the girl ignored her attempts, so the green-haired girl ate as the silence stretched on.

A tap on the table made both girls look up. The old man from before was smiling at Cheryl. "Come dear, we need to take a couple tests."

Cheryl looked down at her food, having ate most of it. "Sure."

He smiled as Princess glared at him, her grip on her spoon turning her knuckles white. She hastily turned her head, not meeting Cheryl's eyes. The green-haired girl shrugged. She'd only just met her. They could become friends later.

But as she was following the old man, Cheryl stumbled as she felt a hand pull up her pant leg. Cheryl hurriedly pulled it back down as she felt a sharp pain shoot up her leg, shooting a curious and hurt glance at Princess, who blinked innocently at her as she withdrew her hand, a smear of blood on her fingertips where she had found Cheryl's odd wound. There was also a piece of bark that she had tore from her skin clutched in her hand. As Cheryl left the cafeteria, she saw one last look on Princess' face. An expression of extreme sadness and helplessness.

...

"Where are we?" Cheryl gazed around at the small square room she had just entered. The panels covering the entire room were white, almost blindingly so. A metal chair leaned back slightly in the center, cuffs extending from the arms. A metal tray stood on a small table to the right of it, an assortment of tools on it. A foreboding feeling began to creep over Cheryl, a shiver running down the length of her spine. "W-what is this place?"

She turned as she asked the old man that question, then jumped as the door slammed behind two people in light blue scrubs, masks covering their faces. They advanced on her and Cheryl stepped back, fear starting to register in her brain. "Ple-please! What's going on!?"

"It's alright my dear," the old man grinned, something that sent chills through her. "We're just going to do your treatment." He nodded to the two nurses. "Restrain her."

Cheryl found herself against the chair now as they gripped both her arms tightly. She screamed, "Stop, please! I don't want to do this." Her mind was totally lost on what was going on, but a small section felt this was familiar. That the experience to come was something to fear, so that's all Cheryl could do. Fear.

Images began flashing through her head as she caught glimpses of flashing tools, masks, and so much pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain.

She was restrained now to the chair. She struggled, unable to hear herself scream over the pounding in her skull. She felt something being injected into her arm, a searing fire erupting inside herself. Through a haze of pain, she saw the old man watching with a broad smile, hands clasped behind his back, orange ear plugs sticking out of his ears.

She felt her leg get lifted up and one of the surgeons reached for a scalpel and sliced the skin on her right knee. Cheryl screamed and screamed, pain nearly overwhelming her as she watched the blood ooze from the large cut. A large needle was injected slowly into the opening and Cheryl threw back her head in agony.

Her fuzzy memories seemed to open up now, making her relive past times in this same room going through similar procedures. She could feel all the pain from then and the pain from now all at once. A thousand times of suffering.

Cheryl couldn't move now, looking at the large cut through a haze of pain. The skin seemed to bubble around it, turning dark as it crusted over. It sealed up the wound with a layer of rough bark.

Then she saw the glint of the scalpel being raised again and Cheryl's world became only one of pure agony.

...

"I think that's about enough for one day."

Cheryl watched Charon with a blank gaze as he ushered both surgeons to the side. Her mind and vision were hazy. Her body felt heavy, rough, and a different feeling seemed to be spreading through her body like roots. She could see Charon jotting down notes on a clipboard, pushing up his red glasses.

_"Cheryl."_

She still couldn't move, but her mind reacted weakly to the new presence.

_"Cheryl."_

_"Hel... hel... hello?" _she thought weakly, numb with pain.

_"Cheryl."_

It was achingly familiar. Before it had been faint, more of a whisper. Now it was louder, clearer.

_"I can help you, Cheryl."_

_"Who... are... you?"_

Memories not her own flickered past her mind's eye. A dark forest filled with trees. A dragging sound, brushing past fallen leaves as they moved. Limbs swung back and forth slowly, gnarled and creaky. A puddle of water lay ahead. Before splashing through it, we leaned down to stare at our reflection. Gnarled branches rose from its head like a crown with bushy leaves, a single red eye glaring down at ourselves.

_"What... is this?"_

_"Feel my power."_

More memories. A mighty Torterra rose in the clearing, stomping its feet on the ground. Roots ripped up from the earth and lashed out towards us. We raised our gnarled hand as it glowed bright green, slamming it into the roots like a hammer. Creaking sounded from our body as we leaned forwards, rushing forwards and slamming our horns into Torterra, lifting him up and jabbing our head into his stomach. Energy flowed from him and into us, revitalizing our health.

Cheryl felt as if merely watching the memory gave her strength. She was not alone in her mind anymore. This creature, no, this Pokemon was one with her. He could give her power. Power so both of us could escape this torture. Two people flashed in her mind and she longed to meet them again. One a orange-haired girl and the other a dark-haired boy. Her best friends.

"Gardenia... Lucas..." she managed to choke out hoarsely, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

"Eh?" Charon looked up, squinting at her. "Are you-"

With a guttural scream, Cheryl gripped her fists and broke through her bonds. Rage consumed her as she reached for Charon, only for both the surgeons to quickly descend on her. She yanked herself free from their grasps and slammed her right arm into his chest, his body cracking the wall as she did the same to the other surgeon. She stared at her arms. The fingers on her left hand were gnarled and woody while her right arm ended in three curled fingers, looking very much like a branch. Small bent leaves were already starting to grow on her body and as she stared, one unfurled fully.

"AAAAAAUUUUUGGGGGGHHHH!" She screamed, gripping her head tightly, her claws scraping against a hard section of her head. She turned her furious gaze on Charon, but he was already through the door. She ran after him, a Crobat zooming down the hallway towards her. She raised her claws, a green glow surrounding them into a hammer shape. She swung, slamming Crobat into the ground as she leaped over him.

She could see Charon rushing towards a door at the far end and she roared, her footsteps pounding loudly on the ground. Roots spread from her, breaking through the ground and curling through the walls as they spread towards the scientist. He cast a fearful look back as he made it through the door and slammed it shut. Cheryl slammed into it full force, denting it. She narrowed her eyes as they glowed red and raised both hands, shadowy claws forming. As she broke through the door, the voice within her head seemed to louden as a familiar tug pulled on her.

_Forest! Must reach forest!_

Cheryl ran in a straight line, Charon forgotten as she broke through anything in her way, finally reaching cool night air and grass beneath her bare feet. Clouds hid the moon as she ran. She raised her arms as she neared the gate and they grew, extending to wrap around the top of the fence. She hauled herself into the air, dropping on the opposite side.

Eterna Forest was closer than ever now. She ran and ran, the voice within her and the voice of the forest growing louder and louder. She could see the tree line through the darkness now. She was so close!

Something slammed into her back, a spike erupting through her chest. She coughed up blood, driven to her knees as she tumbled. She screamed as it was pulled from her and she turned onto her back to see the Toxicroak with its knuckle claw dripping blood.

A sudden flare inside her chest made her curl up. She could feel something new spreading through her body, burning up her insides. She retched onto the ground, a vile liquid wilting the grass. She scrambled backwards, swinging her claws incase Toxicroak advanced, but he didn't. He only watched as if waiting.

Cheryl soon turned her focus back on the forest. She sprinted for the forest, it's darkness welcoming. She reached out her senses, causing roots to grow larger as they erupted from the soil everywhere, blocking the path she came from. She didn't know where she was running to, only towards the voice as it seemed to echo all around her. Then the pain within her made her stumble, her movements slowing as she collapsed. She began crawling, reaching out for the roots at the base of a nearby tree. She could feel its pull, its energy, its life. She wanted so bad to be a part of it.

Her breathing slowed as she curled her left fingers around the closest root and went limp. She couldn't see anymore as she was left in total darkness.

She could see both Lucas and Gardenia now, faint images in her mind. She longed to reunite with them, but the pull of the forest was stronger, and soon they were washed away. She felt the last of the life coursing through her slow to a halt as everything went silent.


End file.
